Convergence
by Lindenbay
Summary: Eight years after the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto is beset with problems: restoring Konoha from ruins, marrying a girl against his will, and dealing with ill health. Concerned, his staff hire a personal physician in the hopes of curing him, an act that comes with unintended consequences. [Naruto x Sakura]
1. Like Petal, Like Flame

**Author's Note:** I saw this on Netflix and couldn't resist writing for it. I was disappointed to find out how the comics ended so here is my small offering to the N/S Titanic. The plot is adapted from _Moon Embracing the Sun._ This story begins with a Naruto/Hinata pairing and a character "death" but do not worry, this is temporary! Have faith!

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 _For those who went down with the ship: this love story is for you._

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Spring had come early to Konoha.

Naruto stood on a bridgeway to the garden pagoda, breathing in the cool mist that surrounded him as he felt the weight of his ceremonial red-white robes upon his shoulders. A vestige of winter chill had remained yet here, in this small corner of the Hokage Pavilion, the new growth endured. Leaning forward, his silken sleeves brushed against the scarlet railing as he admired the sheet of water lilies on the pond and the cherry trees. The pink branches bowed under the weight of the blossoms and were occasionally relieved by the wind, teasing out a few delicate sprays of petals into the air. Smiling, he stretched out his good hand to catch the effervescent things as they floated toward him and settled onto his palm.

 _Sakura._

He smiled as he closed his fingers over them.

"Hey Dickless."

So much for serenity.

Clenching his teeth in vexation, Naruto turned to see Sai walking over to him. Straightening himself up, he bore down on his personal captain of the guard with as much regal dignity as he could muster. "You can't address me like that, Sai."

"Fine. Good morning, Lord Dickless."

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Naruto burst out, dropping all pretences of being a stately Hokage. His hands—he could still feel the ghost of his lost limb—itched to wipe that unperturbed smile off Sai's stupid face but Tsunami's voice suddenly rang throughout his conscience: _a kage must keep emotion in check at all times._ Hypocritical advice coming from a woman renowned for her mercurial moods but she had a fair point. And where he failed, Sasuke succeeded, effortlessly maintaining that icy elegant facade that the nobility wore so well. Reminded of the better example, Naruto struggled to calm himself and offered a grim smile instead of a suckerpunch.

"I'm assuming you were here for something, Captain?"

"Well it's not a date if that's what you were hoping for." Sai cheerfully replied before getting into the matter. "There's been another attempted entry into the village by refugees. It happened last night. Our border patrol has them guarded at the annex for now."

"Again? How many this time?"

"Three hundred. Most of them are families, the children make up almost half."

Naruto sighed, bleakly foreseeing the arguments he would have with his council about this. Nothing in his martial education could have prepared him for statecraft and reconstruction. It was easy, almost too easy to fight amongst nations but so much harder to rebuild and reconcile what had been destroyed. In the wake of the great war with Madara, hundreds of lesser villages had been razed, leaving many of its inhabitants stateless. The recovery period was slow, too slow to provide relief from poverty and violence. It was inevitable that the refugees would make their way into more prosperous villages to make a new life for themselves. Admittedly Konoha itself was not in the best shape, as Naruto had discovered when he was named Hokage, and it had not been prepared to take in the refugees as they came in greater numbers over the years. Gaara himself had been experiencing the same issue in his own lands and the two had exchanged many letters over the subject without reaching a clear solution.

"Let's keep in the Annex until we can find places for them." Naruto decided after some thought. "I'll deal with the elders."

"As you command." Sai lowered his head in acknowledgement. "But I'm sure you know that the Hyuuga family will not be pleased about this, particularly Hanzei."

"I don't care about what he says." Naruto dismissed, irritated by the very mention of the head of the Hyuuga family. Hanzei was ancient and formidable even by Konoha's standards; he had survived through the reigns of four Hokages and outlived his nephew Hiashi. Since Hiashi's death, Hanzei had taken over the Hyuuga clan and won himself a seat on the Hokage council although it was widespread knowledge that he had got there by investing his family's wealth into Konoha's treasury.

Sai gave him a look.

"We can spare the resources. We've still got a surplus in our winter stores."

"It might not be enough if they continue to stay with us throughout the fall and if the harvest is bad."

"I am _not_ borrowing money from Hanzei." Naruto flatly stated, seeing where Sai was getting at. "Have the lower division soldiers— _oh for God's sake_ , not now _._ " To his dismay, a slight man in the green vestments of a Hokage's assistant was walking up to him with an alarmingly heavy bundle of papers in his hands. At that, Sai decided to take his leave and stepped away.

"I will see that your orders are carried out."

"Hokage-sama." Takemaru lowered his whitened eyes to the ground when he reached the Seventh. "I brought the files on the candidates for the personal physician's position. Please take a look through them, I will inform the council of your decision."

"I don't need a doctor." Naruto nonchalantly waved his good hand. "You can throw all that paperwork out."

"Sir, this can't wait any longer." Takemaru began as though he had this conversation many times before. "Specialised care is one of a Hokage's needs in order for his body to perform his duties at the most optimal level. For that, you need a skilled physician. It's traditional for the Hokage to have one at his disposal and it would be to your benefit." He made a pointed glance at his prosthetic.

"Just because I've got one arm, it doesn't mean I'm bad at ninjutsu!" Naruto huffed defensively.

"Lady Hinata," Takemaru drew on what sounded like a trump card, "is most concerned about your health and she feels this is necessary for you."

"..."

To Takemaru's gratification, the Seventh resignedly took the files from his hands, scanning one after the other in quick succession.

"Hyuuga Hiroshi, Hyuuga Niou, Hyuuga Kaoru, Hyuuga...Hyuuga..." Naruto flipped through the pages rapidly and looked up at Takemaru. "I guess Hanzei's worried about my health too, huh? He's got half of the clan in the applicant pool."

"They are the most qualified medics." Takemaru was abashed.

"The council's been complaining that my current staff has too many Hyuuga members. All my personal ANBU guards are Hyuuga, the Pavilion household...and you too."

Takemaru reddened in embarrassment. "Erm...are you...unhappy with me?"

"No, it's not that." Naruto denied much to his relief. "It's just...I think the council has a point. I should be appointing different people into positions instead of relying on one clan, don't you think so?"

"But you're engaged to Lady Hinata and she is of the Hyuuga family. You honour us all by allowing us to serve both of you."

"I'm just a Hokage." Naruto reminded his assistant. "You guys don't need to 'serve' me. I just want all of us, everyone in the village, to work together as a team."

"Regarding the candidates," Takemaru was keen on changing the subject, "which looked the best to you?"

"Honestly, they all sound the same. Can't you pick one for me?"

"I would but is the Hokage's personal choice. This individual will be _your_ physician after all. Shall I schedule interviews?"

"Fine." Naruto agreed although he felt the matter was a waste of time. "What else do you have for me?"

"A message from Lady Hinata." Takemaru handed off a folded letter albeit with a trace of hesitation.

"Thanks." Naruto reached out for it only to be greeted with emptiness. Bemused, he waited as Takemaru looked at him in awkward trepidation.

"Will you…" Takemaru bit his lip. "Can you promise to reply to her soon, Hokage-sama?"

"Well I won't be able to unless you give her letter to me." Naruto was impatient. "What's wrong?"

"No, it's just…" Takemaru's face softened. Quietly, boldly, he took a risk. "Please give more of your time and attention to Lady Hinata. She thinks of you everyday and deeply cares about you."

It was as if the winter had returned in full measure. A feeling not unlike an icy chill spread through his body, causing him to tense.

"She knows how busy I am." He could not offer much more than that.

"Hokage-sama." Takemaru regarded him with mixed sympathy and concern. "Lady Hinata is very lonely these days. She is betrothed to you yet you hardly see her. It troubles her and I believe she is afraid that your affections have waned."

"It isn't that." Naruto's gaze went over to the cherry blossom tree.

"I think it would be good for both of you to spend more time together." Takemaru quietly suggested with as much tact as he could apply. When Naruto failed to reply, he took the silence as a cue to depart and bowed. "I will draw up a new list for you to review soon."

It was a long time before the Seventh returned to the Pavilion. When he finally did, he took one last look at the flowering trees. Their bittersweet scent lingered in the air, drifting him back to a time when he was just a boy who only cared about pranks, ramen, and a girl. A girl whose hair matched the colour of cherry blossoms and bore their name. Even now, the ghost of her laughter haunted him.

Unconsciously, Naruto's hands curled into fists.

The day Konoha had won the war was the happiest day of his life yet he could barely remember it. He had used all but the last dregs of his energy in that final battle and slipped in and out of consciousness. What he did recall was Sasuke lying on the ground, a pool of blood spread between them, and Sakura's voice as her healing hands were outstretched before him. Then, he still didn't know how exactly or _why,_ but when he awoke in the hospital, the world had changed and not for the better.

It was Kakashi who had told him what happened and even now, the details were all a blur. He remembered finding Kakashi at his bedside and being asked to try to understand. He stopped listening when he heard the words _found dead in her sleep._ His mind stopped working and was lost to all his reason. He remembered struggling wildly to get out of his sickbed, falling to the floor, then viciously fighting against the medics who flooded into his room to subdue him back to bedrest. The sheets ran red as his wounds reopened and blood seeped from the bandages.

 _"You're lying!_ " He had screamed at Kakashi. _"It's not true! Tell me it's not fucking true!"_

It made no sense. They had just won a major war, Sasuke had come back, and the village was rebuilding itself. Sakura was supposed to be a part of all that and live in that happy ending. How could this happen? She was healthy and young, so young. People like that didn't die...people like her didn't die in their sleep with no explanation or trace of illness.

Yet, a few days later, he found himself standing over her body laid out on a bier. He was dimly aware of the small crowd of people behind him, quietly sobbing and praying amongst themselves. Only Sasuke remained indifferent, provoking everyone's ire and bitter questioning as to why he had been allowed to Sakura's funeral when he had shown next to nothing but callousness to her in life. Yet even Naruto could not blame him. The tears did not come for him either. He could not even bring himself to hold her hand or even leave a kiss on her lips. There was so much he needed, wanted to say but all he could do was stand there and stare at the corpse of what had been his best friend, his protector, and…

Naruto shut his eyes, clutching at his chest, fisting the fabric of his shirt into a painful knot. He almost reached for his neck before remembering that the crystal necklace wasn't there anymore. He had given it away eight years ago to Sakura so that it could be buried with her. It seemed such a paltry token to give after all that happened between them and the adventures they had shared. Too small perhaps to signify the feelings he bore but now it was too late to tell her. The chakra crystal had protected him just as she had. It seemed only fair and fitting for her to have it in the end.

She had known him as a happy-go-lucky teenager who crushed after her like there was no tomorrow. Now he was twenty-five, fully grown and his power realised. He was everything he had worked for and aspired to be. Would she be proud of that? There was an entire realm of possibilities that he often dreamed of at night What his life would have been like had she been alive, what she would look like after all these years. Since the Pavilion had been rebuilt, he walked along its' ruby-red halls and wondered as he passed one splendor after the other, if she would have liked this finery.

Slowly, his eyes opened and met the red horizon of the Pavilion. Just across from his own residence was Earthly Tranquility, the traditional residence of the Hokage's wife, and where Hinata now lived. The sight of it immediately brought him back to the present. To council meetings, administrative debriefings, responsibility, and duty. This was the career he had fought so hard for yet somehow, though he had dared not to admit it, the glory had dimmed. He had never imagined his life would turn out like this, to be trapped in a palace and betrothal to a woman he admired but could not love.

But he had promised Hinata.

And what kind of man would he be, what sort of Hokage was he, to go back on his word?

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 _Eight Years Ago_

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There was an intruder in Sakura's bedroom.

He had slipped in quietly, lingering in the shadows and not allowing the faintest trace of light hit his face. Beneath his mask, a pair of steel-grey eyes loomed out in the dark and focused on her sleeping form. The visitor was all but unexpected and entirely random for it was none other than the head of the Hyuuga family

As Hiashi Hyuuga stood over Sakura's bedside, he remembered a conversation he had had with his uncle, a clan elder who had presided over the family for decades.

"Naruto is no ordinary boy." Hanzei conceded. "His martial prowess aside, he is powerfully charismatic and is talented in drawing people to his cause. What he lacks in, he gains in finding and using his friends to fill those voids. _That_ is the true source of his strength and that is how he will become Hokage one day."

"Hokage." Hiashi scoffed. "He's still a child. It will be years before another leader is chosen and as far as I can tell, the Fifth is not expected to retire anytime soon."

"But now that he is older, now that we have seen what he can do, we can also predict what he will become." Hanzei lifted his aged head and locked on his whitened eyes with his nephew. "After the war is over, Konoha will need to be rebuilt and a new order will arise from this. We must ensure that our clan is an integral part of that and this time, we will _not_ be eclipsed by the other families."

"I don't understand, Uncle." Hiashi recalled saying. "What are you implying?"

"You have no sons." Hanzei made his displeasure known. "Your daughters are not what I wish to rest our clan's legacy on. Still, they can be useful."

Hiashi remained silent, knowing the harsh words were true enough.

"Your older girl, Hinata, she is Naruto's age is she not?" Hanzei had asked.

"She graduated with him in the same class at the academy."

"I was told she is very fond of Naruto."

"An affection which I have discouraged her from many times." Hiashi saw what Hanzei was getting at. "He's barely spoken to her. Besides, everyone knows he pines after the Haruno girl."

Hanzei's gaze hardened. "Hinata may not be what was wanted but she can still rise high, as the wife of a Hokage and mother to our village's future leaders. This girl you speak of is an obstacle and surely an easy one to get rid of."

"I would prefer a better husband and future for my daughter." Hiashi said coldly.

"You still think poorly of him despite Naruto's recent accomplishments?" Hanzei smirked. "You are most difficult to please."

"Hinata is ill-suited to the role you are envisioning for her. The Hokage's wife is supposed to be a model example for all female ninja. Hinata is too meek and mild, how could she possibly compare to the likes of Lady Mito or Kushina?"

"This is her only chance at ever becoming the heiress she was supposed to be."

"We would not be discussing this had you agreed to my original request." Hiashi's temper finally flared at that. "Neji was more than capable—"

"He was neither _born_ nor _meant_ to be." Hanzei emphatically stated. "A member of the branch house can never be the clan head, the family would never accept that. Hanabi at the very least is your legitimate daughter and although I have serious reservations about her abilities, we can still marry her to one of our own to keep the bloodline pure. Perhaps a worthy heir will be born in the next generation."

"I will not offer Hinata to Naruto." Hiashi refused. "It was my hope to have her wed Neji so as to reunite the factions within our clan. Now with him gone…"

"Are you going to forfeit this opportunity to secure our clan's survival?" Hanzei angrily asked. "We are a dying breed! There are few of us left, we will either be extinct or forgotten like the Senju and Uchiha if we do not do something to place ourselves in the forefront of Konoha's society."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that, when we have no assurances about Naruto's future and knowing that the girl he wants is not my daughter?"

"There can be only one sun and one moon in the sky." Hanzei answered. "Hinata's ascension must be secured and to do that...we must eliminate the Haruno girl."

Hiashi paused. Slowly, he raised his eyes to meet Hanzei's unflinching gaze. "Eliminate?"

"She is an obstacle, nothing more."

"She is a child."

"With Sasuke out of Naruto's reach, that girl is the last remnant of his first friendships. She is valuable to him and she is cunning….her intelligence enables her to advance Naruto beyond what he would be capable by himself." Hanzei reasoned. "She is formidable, dangerous even. As long as she is near him, she will make it harder for us to bend Naruto to our interests...not without the help of a mediator and who better than our Hinata?"

Hiashi remembered struggling to picture Hanzei's target, a slight fifteen year old with unusually coloured hair and green eyes. An insignificant creature really, but Hanzei had a point. She was always at Naruto's side and was reasonably proficient in supporting him on the battlefield. She had even brought him back to life on several occasions.

"If you wish to be the victor, you must find your opponent's lynchpin and destroy it. That girl is no different."

"But you are speaking of murdering a girl who committed no crime to our clan."

"I speak for our family's advancement and legacy. You are the head. Those girls of yours are all that will be left of you when you are gone. You could be the father-in-law to the Hokage, the grandfather of many descendants who will continue to govern Konoha for years to come. Do not disappoint me with your weakness by failing in your duty to ensure our clan's placement in this world."

It had taken weeks, months, and finally the conclusion of the world war until Hiashi agreed that Hanzei was right and a course of action had to be taken.

But on one condition.

He would do it himself and to that, the elder agreed, only too pleased that the Hyugga head of the family had come to his senses.

Now, as Hiashi finally faced the other moon that Hanzei had so ardently want to remove, he reflected back to piecemeal observations he had gathered over time. A continuous stream of images flowed through his mind: a girl weeping and crying out Naruto's name as she hunched over his mangled body. An embrace in front of a ruined Konoha after Pain's defeat. A laugh shared between them in the midst of a training ground. What was she to him?

Hiashi had only needed to take one look at Naruto for the answer. The famed Byakugan may have been an omnipotent eye but it required a certain kind of skill to discern the feelings of others. What had he seen on Naruto's face? A boyhood crush? A love that was never voiced and bore no label? It strayed beyond platonics but had never crossed the point of no return.

 _Did he get a chance to tell you?_ Hiashi asked as he gazed after Sakura.

The girl however remained oblivious to his attention, still fast asleep, wrapped in some pleasant dream perhaps. Good. This would make the main blow easier and painless for her. He readied himself, chakra flowing through his body in an imperceptible but targeted strike. With the lightest touch, his fingertips met the seal embedded into Sakura's skin. A blue glow emitted from the contact and a moment later, the diamond glittered as spiralling vines of energy spread across the girl's forehead to reach each of her temples.

Hiashi let go.

The light faded as did the markings but the girl was no longer sleeping. Her breathing had come to a stop and the blood flow drained away from her face, leaving a pale mask in its wake. His task completed, he stepped back to make his departure but not without regret.

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When the last of the mourners walked away, when the rose petals had been scattered, when Kakashi had to lift Naruto from his knees and walk him back home through his anguished daze, when night finally fell, Hiashi struck.

He could not afford to waste anymore time. Quietly, efficiently, he started to dig. The coffin had been buried deeply but at last, after a few pushes, it was unearthed. He precariously snapped off the hinges and lifted the top to unveil Sakura lying in repose. Her hair had been becomingly braided with a red ribbon, arranged with the first blooms of spring all around her head. Instead of her usual garb, she had been dressed in funerary white robes that enveloped her body in clouds of silk.

Hiashi scrutinised the body, even feeling the girl's neck. There was no pulse, no breath, but she was warm.

 _Still alive..._ Hiashi was relieved as he felt the warmth of the girl's skin.

He reached out to touch her forehead and laid a hand against the tepid skin. In a soft glow of light, chakra seeped into the girl, traversing from head to toe as the viny markings of the new seal reappeared. It was not long before he caught sight of the girl's first breath. Blood rushed to her cheeks, her heart reawoke to a steady and dependable beat, but she remained held fast in sleep. With ease, Hiashi enfolded the girl into their arms and carried her out of the grave. After ensuring the coffin had been reburied and the site smoothed over without a trace of disturbance, he took her under the cover of darkness.

He did not stop until he passed the forests by many miles, going as far eastward as he dared without being detected. With every passing hour, he knew that the girl's memory would fade to nothing yet the more distance he put between her and Konoha, he reasoned that the safer she would be. It was almost a measure of paternal protection. After all, she was the same age as his own daughter and if Hinata had been in her place, would he not wish that someone would take pity on her too?

By the time Hiashi reached his destination, dawn was just about to break. Tired but determined, he stepped into the foothills of a village that encircled a palatial temple. With Sakura in his arms, he headed for the holy sanctuary and at its gates, he found the head priestess and her entourage awaiting him. In the misty setting, they looked more like spectres clothed in their gauzy robes and hooded cloaks to shield them from the cold. A pair of porters held aloft crystal lanterns lit with candles for additional lighting in the grey gloom and afford more sight for their mistress.

The head priestess was small for her age but carried herself with a kind of regal dignity that made her stand tall and apart from her companions. Her robes were markedly finer and embroidered with scarlet peonies in snow-white damask. Like the rest of the women, her neck and hair were covered by a wimple. Their heads were crowned with a simple veil that swayed in the air, held in place by a circlet. Where the priestess' was made of gold, the others had one fashioned from iron.

"My old friend." She solemnly greeted. "I trust the journey did not take you long."

Her eyes went to the unconscious girl. With an imperious gesture of her hand, her handmaidens quickly took Sakura from Hiashi to bring into the temple. When everyone had gone, the priestess turned back to him.

"That seal..."

"...is permanent unless I or a Hyugga member removes it." Hiashi said.

"You took her memories away." The priestess studied the clan head with caution. "I admit, Hiashi, when I received your message last month I was troubled by it. I do not understand why you must go to such great lengths for this girl."

"I cannot say anymore without you coming into potential harm, Asagao." Hiashi laconically replied. "Please do not renege on our agreement. You will look after her, will you not?"

"Our temple does not turn away the sick or needy." Asagao said. "You wrote that this girl will need our care for a long time. We are prepared to do so. It is the least I can do for you, considering that you did save this sanctuary once." Her eyes darkened in concern. "But can you at least explain to me why you chose that particular seal?"

"So that she may live." Hiashi answered. "I did not take away her natural martial abilities or her chakra reserves. She was, and still is, a very skilled healer. I hope you can mentor and instruct her in your temple's ways. I believe she can be of much use to you and to your village."

"But not to Konoha."

"She can never return to that place and be who she once was."

Asagao looked at him with profound disapproval. "Is this the kinder fate then? Exile?"

"I had no other choice."

"No choice?" The priestess looked doubtful. "You, the head of a formidable clan, had 'no choice' you say?"

"I don't expect you of all people to understand my position." Hiashi coldly replied. "I have a legacy to protect and that girl was deemed as a threat to it. I did what I must to safeguard my family."

"At the expense of an innocent life." Asagao quietly challenged. "A child, no less."

"I may be many things but I am not a murderer." Hiashi's anger spilled over that. "There has been enough senseless deaths for one generation. _My brother and his son_. I will not add this girl to the list of the dead."

A tense silence descended on them both at the mention of Hiashi's twin and Neji. Asagao remembered receiving the news of each passing with great sorrow for her friend. She knew how much it had tormented him to endure the longstanding rumours that he had forced his brother to his death, that he was grooming his fatherless nephew to be a servant and nothing more. Even then, he had had to keep his affections secret. To never show that he cared for those close to him in order to maintain the cruel charade of detachment and power. She had thought with the war's conclusion and Neji's death that the act would be brought to an end.

How disappointing to find that it was not to be.

"And if she asks questions, what am I to tell her? This girl, who does not even know her own name?" Asagao ventured after a long while.

"Give her a new name. Create a life story for her if you want. Anything, so long as it puts her far away from Konoha."

Asagao weighed the severity of Hiashi's words. "Is this the only way to ensure her safety?"

"In this world," Hiashi said as the sun began to rise, "that child can no longer live as Haruno Sakura but must be reborn as someone else."

It was only hours after Hiashi's departure that Asagao understood what he had meant. When the Sakura awoke, the temple servants found her screaming and thrashing about the sickroom, taken aback by her new surroundings. They had to sedate her in the end and when she rose again the next morning, she unnerved them all with her inability to recall anything.

"Who are you?" The girl blankly asked. Her green eyes seemed dulled, as if the light of life had been taken from her.

"Have no fear, my child." Asagao tried to reassure her. "We are here to protect you, you are in the safest place and the surest hands. I am the head priestess of the Hoshigakure Temple here. Our divine order is dedicated in training healers and taking care of the sick. You came to us as a novice and took on vows to renounce the world in order to become one of my apprentices. That is why you are here...Ayame."

Sakura turned to the woman, unsure. "Ayame?"

"That is your name." Asagao lied gently. "Minamoto Ayame. You came here to train under me six months ago. You were out picking herbs for our stocks when you slipped and fell, hitting your head. My guards found you and brought you back. We were worried you had a concussion but I now see the damage is worse than we thought."

"It's just..." The girl put her head in her hands, only to feel the impressions of the seal across her forehead. "...what is this?"

"My dear, you must not put yourself in a state. You must rest. Do not worry about your memories or that seal, you had it on when you came to us. It is a protection spell, powerful and permanent. It is a part of you and it will help you."

"I am your apprentice?" The girl haltingly asked.

"Yes." Asagao smiled, all the while thinking back to Hiashi's final plea. "You are my student and we have much, so much to teach you."

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 _Present Day_

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"Come back right here, you wench! Ayame! AYAME!"

Laughing, a pair of girls sprinted away from the enraged house mother who shouted after them to no end. They didn't stop running until they reached the bare outskirts of the temple grounds and doubled over, breathless. Their hands were sticky with overt signs of their crime. Honey dripped from their fingers and stained their robes as they hastily sought to wipe the traces off by the hem of their linen robes. Their veils languidly moved in the wind as the spring sun shone fiercely on their covered heads.

" _Did you see her face?_ " Namiko couldn't stop giggling. "She couldn't believe we'd eaten all the dango!"

"It was so worth it though." Ayame grinned.

"Well we're going to have hell to pay when we get back." Namiko teased as she straightened up to smooth her veil. With that done, she turned to see her friend still looking thoroughly disheveled. "Here, your circlet is crooked. We'd best get along before anyone sees."

"I hate this stupid thing." Ayame complained although she stood still as Namiko adjusted the iron crown.

"This is our uniform, get used to it, and don't look so sulky. Make sure your wimple is tight enough and your hair isn't showing, you know how Lady Asagao feels about..." Her eyes went over to Ayame's covered forehead.

"I know." Ayame said quickly.

Namiko looked apologetic. "So….are you going to see Lady Asagao off to her missionary trip?"

"No, I have to prepare the medicine kits, I don't think I'll have time." Ayame did not trouble hiding her disappointment.

"Don't look so sad because you'll be stuck with me for half a year!" Namiko playfully rebuked. "Honestly, I don't know why her ladyship is so against you leaving the temple. She's taking the other girls with her and you're more experienced."

"I already asked. She told me to stay here, she said I wasn't ready." A cloud of disappointment crossed over Ayame's face.

Namiko gave a commiserating smile. "Well, it just so happens that _I_ disagree and _I_ have something that will cheer you up."

"Another pastry heist?"

"Cakes would be great." Namiko agreed. "But actually, I was thinking of something more productive, shall we say?"

Ayame's brows rose in interest.

"Lady Asago received a message from Konoha. Their Hokage needs a personal physician and the Hokage's assistant asked if someone from our temple would be interested in applying. Her ladyship asked me to go but since she's leaving..." Namiko broke off slyly.

"And?"

"And I'm going to be swamped running things here whilst she's gone so..."

"...are you serious?" Ayame's green eyes lit up. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I thought you'd be the perfect candidate."

Ayame could have crowed in happiness but just as the joy came, it was suddenly replaced with uncertainty. "But Lady Asagao…."

"She won't know if I don't tell her that you've gone and you'll be back before she returns." Namiko waved off the concern. "Come on, I thought you'd be more excited! You get to go out into the field for once!"

"No, I am, it's just—wait, why are you so sure I'll be back before six months? Aren't these positions supposed to be permanent?"

"Not with this Hokage. He goes through doctors like they were toilet paper; he never keeps the same one and is notorious for not keeping up with his follow up appointments."

Ayame frowned in displeasure. "He sounds like an idiot."

"Well dumb as he may be, he's very powerful and talented."

"Okay." Ayame was still not impressed. "What's wrong with him? What does he need?"

Namiko grinned. "Does this mean you'll go to Konoha to interview?"

"I guess so." Ayame tried to sound indifferent but the note of happiness in her voice could not escape Namiko's ears.

"Good." Namiko said cheerfully as she made her way to the main temple . "I guess someone needs to start packing…!"


	2. Unlikely Beginnings

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An unusual gloom of grey mists and light rain heralded the morning's arrival as Lady Asagao and her team headed for their medical mission. Ayame and the other novices stood before the magnificent pavilion of the temple, bowing in farewell as the entourage departed the grounds. Quietly, they all fought against the impulse to shiver in the cold that permeated their flimsy, grey linen robes and worked hard to maintain a degree of propriety as they gave the obsequies that etiquette demanded.

"Be productive and a model example of diligence. Remember your oaths and attend to our villagers with utmost care." Asagao advised them as her attendants prepared her palanquin.

"Yes, your ladyship." The girls murmured in unison as they bowed.

"Namiko, whilst I'm away, you will write back to Takemaru Hyuuga and go to Konoha to serve the Hokage there, should he choose you. If he does not, return to the temple and oversee the novices."

"My lady." Namiko lowered her veiled head in submission although not before catching Ayame's glance and sharing a stolen grin with each other.

"Ayame, Genshi, Kotoko: continue to prepare and send us new medicine kits when we request it."

"Yes, my lady." The girls replied.

Asagao lifted the hood of her long cloak over her head. "I will see you all in six months."

Once the outline of Lady Asagao's palanquin faded in the fog, Namiko bade the girls to return to the main house. The mood lightened considerably as everyone headed inside, freely chatting with each other and reveling in the warmth of their indoor sanctuary. Firelight flickered in the great hearth, casting dancing shadows across the cedar beams. Incense wafted through the wings, veiling the temple in its heady scent.

"Hurry up! Your breakfasts are getting cold!" Mimi, the house mother scolded the girls as they briskly walked into the dining commons. Her scowl deepened when she caught sight of Ayame, not quite forgetting her recent theft.

Ayame tried to give her an apologetic smile when she felt someone grab her from behind and steer her away from sight.

"Time to go!" Namiko whispered as she ushered Ayame into the corridor leading to the east wing.

"What?"

"I've got everything ready for you. A carriage is already out front."

" _Now?_ "

"The interview is tomorrow, dummy! You have to get to the Leaf Village on time."

" _If_ I get it." Ayame emphasised.

"Well even if you don't, at least you get a trip outside for a few days. Come on!" Namiko prodded her along.

With surprising speed and efficiency, Ayame was shipped away from the temple grounds with all of her medical equipment as well as the herbal kits that Namiko had packed for her. Their goodbye was brief but full of affection as Namiko happily waved her off.

The journey lasted a few hours, pausing a few times for the horses to rest and eat. Miles and the time seemed to pass Ayame by from the carriage window as she watched the geography change. The fog and the grasslands gradually gave way to a sunlit forest that swept her into a never-ending sea of green punctuated by the tall, dark outlines of tree trunks. Even the air felt and smelt different here. The climate was certainly more forgiving than the temple village, so much that she was comfortable to take off her modesty shawl.

 _This must be what they mean about a home away from home,_ Ayame thought to herself as her eyes caught the light dancing in between leaves. Leaning back, she spared a look at the driver and seeing that he was preoccupied with the ride, her hands went over to her forehead and lifted away the iron circlet. The veil fell to her lap, leaving only her wimple. Carefully, she unwound the starched cap, freeing her shaved head. Running her fingers over her scalp, she was dismayed to feel the new growth of hair. She would have to cut it all off when she got to the village.

Her hands lingered just above her forehead, coming to a rest on the seal that marked her. She traced the curves and followed the circular patterns that spread across her skin like a twisted vine. The diamond mark lay at the centre of it all, a fleshed jewel in this diadem of a curse. Mirrors were scarce at the temple for its very use encouraged vanity but there were times when she had caught glimpses of herself unbound in casual reflections. The seal's colouring was chromatic. It seemed to shift in shades of glittering blue or green depending on the light.

But it was no thing of beauty. She was marked, and had no memory of how or why.

Ayame's hand crept down to the hollow of her neck. The tepid smoothness of the crystal pendant that hung from her chain comforted her with its tangibility. She had been with the temple training as a novice healer since she was sixteen and that was all she had known. Her sole remainder of whatever past life she had had lay in this seal and necklace. Asagao had told her very little about the seal other than that it was permanent and had tried to take away the crystal, on the grounds that novices could not have any worldly possessions.

She remembered fighting tooth and nail to keep it; eventually, Asagao's resolve gave out but insisted that the trinket be hidden at all times if it was to be worn.

Ayame looked down at it the crystal, admiring its colour and noting how it seemed to mimic the woodland's greenery. She had shown this to Namiko once, who identified it as a chakra crystal. A rare stone that could augment one's abilities.

" _Maybe it'll bring you luck!_ " Namiko's voice echoed from memory.

Maybe.

Ayame slipped the necklace safely underneath her robes and replaced the wimple on her head, covering her seal and whole scalp from view. When she had pinned the veil back in place with her circlet, she heard the driver call out.

"My lady, we've arrived!"

"Really?" Ayame stuck her head out eagerly. From the outskirts, she could see a wide elliptical wall encircling the village. The sheer size struck her; it certainly couldn't be compared with the temple that was for certain. A series of faces carved in the mountainside greeted her in solemn, dignity. She counted six before she realised there was a seventh face emerging from the easternmost ridge. She strained her eyes, seeing the outlines of a few scaffolds held aloft the unfinished carving.

 _The Seventh._ Ayame searchingly looked into the face. Only half of it had been completed and she could glean nothing from the eyes that stared out into the open sky. She wondered if it was an accurate likeness. Retreating into the carriage, she contented herself with observing the village from her window as the driver took her through the main gate.

"Stop!" A pair of sentry guards halted their progress.

"State your purpose and identity." Ayame heard one of them order the carriageman.

The driver sighed in annoyance. "I'm just taking a healer from Tsukimi Temple to Konoha."

"What for?"

"The acting priestess told me that this girl is to be considered for a position in your Hokage's staff."

At that, Ayame leaned out and caught the guards' attentions. "Hello."

"Do you have a permit, miss?"

Ayame was perplexed. "Permit? No...I didn't think to bring one." She considered for a moment. "My temple received a letter from Takemaru Hyuuga asking for us to send him a doctor. He didn't mention we needed a permit to enter into Konoha."

"Takemaru?" A guard's eyes widened in recognition. He turned to his partner for confirmation. "That's the Hokage's assistant, right?"

"I can't believe you don't know that, Zentaro." The other scoffed.

"Oh give me a break." The guard snapped. "Those Hyuuga are everywhere in our ranks these days so I'm 'sorry' if I can't keep track of them as well as you!"

"Excuse me." Ayame politely interjected. "Can we go in? The Seventh is expecting me."

Zentaro hesitated. "Well...since you say you were contacted by Takemaru…"

"We'll grant you passage but you have to leave the village within three days time unless the Hokage says otherwise." The other guard spoke up.

"That sounds fair." Ayame agreed.

"Why're you making a fuss anyway?" The driver demanded, clearly vexed by what he considered to be needless questioning.

"Refugees." Zentaro tersely replied. "They've been coming in droves. We've got orders to limit anyone who's crossing into our borders." He turned away in frustration. "Go on then."

The carriage rode past the gates and slipped into the village traffic as it cautiously made its way to the Pavilion, the Hokage's main residence. Children's laughter rang out like a clear, sweet note amid a chaotic chorus of voices. The streets were crowded with vendors selling their wares: baskets of bright fruits and vegetables, colourful hair ribbons, copper pots and pans, clusters of the finest blooms of the season, some fancy trinkets. People criss-crossed around her carriage as they walked to their destinations. She could hear the dull thunks of the butcher's cleaver against a wooden cutting board, slicing away at a generous portion of venison. A comforting, yeasty smell of bread shifted her attention to a family happily exiting a bakery, holding brown paper packages containing fresh loaves. Somewhere else, she noticed a local fishwive haggling with a customer over her gleaming array of cod.

The buildings she saw were an eclectic mix: mostly old, some new. There was a marked departure from the architectural styles. The latest additions were taller and grander in style whilst the rest of the village that had retained their original edifices looked as though they were stuck in the past. Time had not been kind. She could see cracks on the crumbling walls, the shadows that lingered in alleyways where thieves surely lurked. On occasion, she saw a few ragged vagabonds, their lack of food and shelter painfully evident in their weary faces.

"There it is, my lady." Her driver pointed out the Pavilion.

Lying straight ahead, a palatial structure built entirely out of gleaming white marble rose from a high city wall and a wide moat, surfaced with red bricks three layers deep. Five main gates opened up the wall and were fronted with steel latticed grilles. She could see the multi-inclined roofs, their ridges glittering like gold under the springtime sun, and a hint of the corbel brackets that held them up. A series of scarlet columns supported the rest of the palace holdings. Beyond, she could glimpse the magnificent stairway leading into inner court but no more than that.

"It's beautiful!" She was stunned by its splendour.

"Humph." The carriageman clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Waste of money, if you ask me."

They were stopped a second time but when Ayame repeated her identification credentials, she was allowed through. When she emerged from her carriage, she was greeted by a small entourage of page boys led by a young man with eyes as pearly-white as a clouded sky.

"Ayame-san." Takemaru bowed. "Thank you for coming. I trust your journey was not unpleasant?"

"No, it wasn't." Ayame said in all sincerity as she returned the formality. "Your forests are wonderful, I've never seen anything like it."

"And we are proud to have them, my lady." Takemaru smiled. "I'd like to take you to your quarters, if you are ready to dismiss your carriage."

Not long after she bade her driver goodbye and took out what little belongings she had been sent with, Ayame followed Takemaru into the southern section of the Hokage Pavilion.

"The Pavilion is the oldest structure in Konoha and was built by the First. Much of the original layout was damaged in the war but my clan financed an extensive rehabilitation. The whole palace is divided into two parts," Takemaru explained as they traversed deeper into the mansion. "There is the outer court, which is where you are now. This is where the public meets with Hokage and all of our ceremonies are conducted. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the Hokage's main seat and our largest reception area."

He gestured to the luminescent three-tiered white marble terrace rising from the main square of the outer court where she could see a magnificent structure flanked by a pair of giant, stone dragons that craned their necks high to their celestial home. They continued walking along the ramps leading up to the northern side to reach what Takemaru called the Inner Court.

"This is the Hokage's main residence and where daily household tasks are carried out. If you are chosen to be the physician, you will be living here. Your chambers will only be a passage away from the Hokage's own rooms so you can have easy access to him in case there is an emergency." Takemaru explained. "The Hokage has his own palace, Heavenly Purity, and his spouse has another called Earthly Tranquility that is directly opposite of it. The nursery is between."

"Nursery?" Ayame was surprised to hear of it, realising she knew very little of her future employer. All she knew was his name, that he was a young Hokage, and beyond Namiko's private opinions, there was little else. "Does the Seventh have children?"

"Not yet." Takemaru said. "But we hope that he will soon."

"He's married?"

"Engaged." Takemaru corrected. "He is betrothed to Lady Hinata, she is the heiress-presumptive of my clan. Hanzei is the current head."

"That's wonderful! When is the wedding?"

Takemaru's smile dimmed. Ayame started, taken aback by his reaction. Had she said something wrong?

"Hokage-sama and my lady Hinata have not set a date." He answered carefully. "The Seventh has been...ill. That is why we hope his new doctor can alleviate his symptoms and move forward with the wedding. They have been engaged for two years already and my clan's head is most anxious that they marry soon."

"What kind of symptoms?" Ayame's brow furrowed in curiosity.

"Fevers, mostly. He does not sleep well, he has frequent nightmares." Takemaru paused in his list. "I'm sure you heard of the Hokage's arm?"

"He is an amputee, right?"

"It was lost in battle." Takemaru confirmed. "He is somewhat sensitive about the issue."

"And the wound is clean and completely healed? He has had no infection from it?"

"Yes, when the Seventh lost it, he had been taken care of by his friend Haruno Sakura. She was a very talented medical nin, she had been trained by Tsunade-sama herself."

"I've heard of Tsunade." Ayame said appreciatively. Even in her remote temple, the tales of the legendary warrior-healer and her fierce, uncompromising style had reached there. Many novices had fallen in love with the romantic, if not inspiring, story of how Tsunade lost her beloved and redeemed herself in becoming the first female Hokage. "Does she still live in Konoha?"

"No." Takemaru sounded regretful. "She retired some years ago and returned to her ancestral lands in the east to establish a medical academy there. The Seventh tried to make her stay but she was determined to leave."

"Why did she?"

Takemaru paused. "I do not know the exact circumstances but I believe it had much to do with Haruno-san. Tsunade-sama took the loss exceptionally hard."

Loss? Ayame looked to him confusion. "Is she….?"

"Haruno-san died some time ago. It was a tragedy, she was only sixteen. My lady Hinata also knew her."

"That is a shame." Ayame murmured. There was indeed something terribly sad and unjust about a life lost at such a young age. "How long ago was this?"

"Eight years ago." Takemaru's demeanour sunk to a melancholic reserve. "And the Seventh has never been the same since."

They continued deeper into the Pavilion until they reached the Palace of Heavenly Purity. The double-eaved structure was set on a single-level white marble platform, connected to another gate by a raised bridgeway that overlooked a pretty garden pond. Majestic heads of dragons reworked in bronze adorned the inclined edges of the golden-tiled roofs, looking as if they were floating in a sunlit sky.

But what drew Ayame's attention was not the palace finery but the patches of creamy white lotuses calmly floating on the water's surface. Looking further ahead, she saw a charming pagoda adorned with clambering wisteria. Maple and cherry-blossom trees littered the pond's edge, sending streams of leaves and petals into the green pool.

"Your rooms are within, Ayame-san." Takemaru guided her inside through a labyrinth of corridors. She passed by one beautiful room after the next, each almost surpassing the other.

 _The Seventh has expensive taste..._ she laughed to herself when she encountered an extraordinarily marvelous jade carving. Amused, she wondered if she would be given a golden bed and silver dishes to eat on when at last, she was brought to a seemingly modest wing of the palace.

It was far more luxurious than what she had at the temple. Her bed was twice the size of that at home and replete with the finest brocade bedding she had ever seen. The latticework on the window panels were intricately designed, featuring not the typical line pattern but peonies and bellflowers. There was even a mahogany desk set aside for her, it's drawers filled with fine parchment, a choice selection of writing brushes, and a lovely inkstone made from amethyst. The bedroom smelled comfortingly of cedar, the same kind of wood that the temple had been built from.

"You will see the Seventh tomorrow afternoon. Until then, rest here. You can ring up the kitchen staff for your meals. A maid will attend you shortly to draw your bath."

"That won't be necessary." Ayame felt somewhat embarrassed by the fuss. There were actual _servants_ here?

"I insist." Takemaru bowed again. "Until tomorrow, Ayame-san."

As soon as he stepped out, the panels seamlessly slid to a quiet close, leaving her alone.

She gently set her medicine kit bundles on the desk then knelt down to unwrap the raw silk cloths, taking out delicate packets of dried herbs and scrolls detailing surgical techniques. With that done, she looked to the silk cord by her bed and gave an experimental tug.

After her dinner had been brought, she finished her meal in gratification, relieved at being able to eat at last. Deciding against calling the maid, she went to the restroom to bathe herself. When she had drawn the bath halfway, she sank into the warm waters, luxuriating in the heat and spent a decent hour soaking away her weariness from travel. The soap she had been given smelled like honeyed maple and the provided towels were wonderfully soft. As she fell back into the bed, clean and happy, she strayed a guilty thought to Namiko, the person who should have been the one enjoying these luxuries.

In fact, the entire experience felt surreal. Ayame hadn't realised the sheer scale with which the Seventh lived. A marked contrast to how the rest of the village lived, she privately noted to herself. She had not forgotten the unwelcome reception she had received at the village gates and the decaying structures she had seen. No one was exactly starving, she had to admit, but there was still a sizable room for improvement.

She thought of Takemaru's words from earlier regarding the Hokage's engagement to Hinata, realising whoever was chosen, they would already be burdened with an enormous amount of pressure as it had been clear to her that the Seveth's health was a direct impediment to his impending marriage.

 _I wonder what's wrong with him,_ Ayame wondered as she closed her eyes. Vowing to get Namiko a generous gift no matter what the outcome of the interview would be, she drifted into a restful sleep.

When she awoke the next morning, she heard shouting and thought she was dreaming. Her panels shook as loud footsteps pattered around the entrance of her wing.

"You can't talk to me this way!"Someone yelled in righteous indignation. "This is completely _unprofessional_ and _unbecoming_ of a Hokage…!"

"DON'T TOUCH ME."

"Hokage-sama, _please…!_ You _need_ to be examined—"

"— _I'm not having my balls handled by that guy—_ "

"It's a routine exam!"

"Not the way he was doing it!"

 _Oh god, what now?_ Ayame rolled to her side and arose from bed. She listened as the tirade to continue well into the time she received her breakfast and even when she finished dressing into her linen robes. Her doors shook every time a candidate exited the Hokage's quarters, either whipped into fury or sounding utterly disgraced. Cautiously, she made her way to the Hokage's private office and as she waited outside, she dismally counted each one as the hours rolled by into her appointment time and her expectations of the Seventh sank lower with each passing mark.

One: "Based on these readings, I don't really think you have a fever."

"Your thermometer says ninety-eight point six!"

"...that's a normal temperature, Sir…"

Two: "Have you considered taking a holiday on Summer Isle? You're awfully high-strung, Hokage-sama, the fresh air may do you some good."

"Do I look like I have time to have a 'holiday'?"

Three: "Perhaps, Hokage-sama, you'd be interested in taking a tincture of copperhead snake venom with fermented Thuringian oysters. It's an excellent remedy for impotence—"

" _Get out."_

Ayame rolled her eyes at the outdated prescription, not entirely surprised by the Seventh's offended reaction. She wondered why no one had made a diagnosis but quickly realised that the Seventh had been dismissing everyone before they could give a proper exam. Clearly, she had her work cut out for her.

 _If you weren't my patient and I hadn't taken vows to not harm any living creature,_ she fumed, _I'd punch you in the face..._

"Ayame-san."

She looked up to see a brow-beaten Takemaru, his exasperation plainly evident on his face that he had all but given up. He motioned her to rise and follow him into the office.

Trepidation built up with every step as the panels slid open for her and she walked inside. Unsurprisingly, the office was just as sumptuous as the rest of the Pavilion interiors but what struck her as peculiar was that the Hokage sat at his desk on a raised dais and a thin screen shielded her from getting a good look at him. All she could glimpse was a figure clothed in white lounging at his chair, an obvious posture of extravagant boredom.

Ayame scowled.

"Hokage-sama." Takemaru wearily addressed the screen. "May I introduce Minamoto Ayame, a novice healer from the Hidden Moon Village temple. She has been trained by the head priestess—"

"I know." Naruto interrupted.

Takemaru sighed, already seeing the battlements forming. "Please let Ayame-san examine you."

"You didn't tell me she was a girl."

"So what if I'm a girl?" snapped Ayame.

"No, no, no, it's not like that." Takemaru hastily cut in. "Hokage-sama, please apologise to Ayame-san and let her do her job…"

"No."

But the denial came not from the Seventh but Ayame herself.

Surprised, Naruto peered through the bamboo blinds but could only discern a slight shape of a woman clothed in austere grey robes, standing defiantly before his desk. Her entire head was covered by a wimple and veil so that not even the slightest trace of her hair could be seen.

"No, I won't examine you and I certainly would never take you as my patient." Ayame's eyes blazed in anger. "I've been listening to you all day and hearing how you treat the other candidates. You're nothing but a selfish, pompous prat. Even if you are ill, it's obvious you don't want any treatment so why should I waste my time with you?"

Takemaru dared to turn around to see how the Seventh was taking this but the screen kept Naruto resolutely from view.

"Do you even know how lucky you are? You interviewed almost ten people today just to be your doctor. Most villagers don't even have _one_ for themselves. Ever since the war, my temple has been caring for the wounded and sick that were left behind. You have no idea what kind of suffering is out there."

"Yes, I do." Naruto heatedly replied.

"Really?" Ayame challenged. "How could you possibly know when you live in a palace whilst your own villagers have to live in dilapidated housing and there are refugees begging to be taken in?"

Instantly, the screen was shunted aside as Naruto leapt out of his seat and bore down at the woman from his taller height.

Ayame stared. The Seventh was young, she knew, but she hadn't realised he looked to be the same age as her. On top of that, Namiko seemed to have left out one jarring detail that shouldn't have mattered _at all_. He was, infuriatingly, good-looking. The square jaw somehow matched the high curve of his cheeks in an attractive way. The red-white cloak he wore contrasted well with the black spartan garb that Konoha's nin had adopted as everyday wear. His colouring was striking too; she had rarely seen that shade of blonde coupled with eyes that mimicked the sky.

Now, they appeared a stormy blue as they locked onto her.

"I want to make something clear," Naruto's voice was like ice, "you are here by invitation. Regardless of what my assistant said, I don't need a doctor and I'm not going to take political advice about my village from an outsider like you. You're just a novice."

"You're right. I am just a novice like you said." Ayame acknowledged as she stood her ground. "But I don't need to be the Hokage to see that your people are not doing well as you'd like to think."

"I'm not ignorant of the circumstances you're referring to."

"Then why aren't you doing anything about it?"

"Ayame-san." Takemaru interrupted in a low voice. "Please do not speak any further."

"It's fine, I know you want me to go so I will." Ayame spurned on her heel as she turned to leave but not before she could throw out another remark. "And for once, I agree with you. You don't need a doctor. As far as I can tell, you're not sick at all, you're perfectly healthy. Maybe you're just making up excuses to avoid getting married and for that disorder, you'll need a different kind of healer."

She strode off, leaving a stunned Takemaru and his Hokage in her wake. The panel doors rattled as she slammed them shut after her. It was a long while before Takemaru regained the power of speech and had his wits about him.

"I am so sorry." He tried to speak. "I didn't think...she seemed so...I don't know why she was…"

"Takemaru."

"Y...yes?"

Naruto stared after the closed doors. The girl's words were ringing in his ears, stinging his pride and awakening him to a new kind of reality. Were temple maidens always this outspoken? He thought they were supposed to be models of docility and obedience.

 _Yeah, right._

"I'll have her sent away this evening." Takemaru spoke up. "If you wanted any of the other candidates….well actually, I don't think you have anymore but Hanzei could find someone for you, I'm sure."

 _Hanzei._

Naruto had forgotten. Even if the Hokage's personal physician was to be selected by his own choosing, Hanzei would somehow find a legal loophole to get around that and place a Hyuuga-approved healer in the Pavilion household. He clenched a fist in frustration. He would have to speak to Hinata about her family but that conversation could be held at another time. Right now, he had to choose someone and fast.

" _I certainly would never take you as my patient."_ The novice-healer's voice brazenly echoed in his memory.

 _We'll see about that._

"What was that girl's name?"

Takemaru blinked. "Excuse me?"

"What was her name?"

"Minamoto Ayame." Takemaru did not bother hiding his confusion. "Why do you ask?"

To add to his mystification, all he got from Naruto was a fox-like grin.

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The panels flew open as Ayame stormed inside her quarters.

Grabbing her things, she haphazardly started throwing them into one of her travel bags. _Stupid!_ she berated herself as she continued packing. What was she thinking? Embarrassment and anger flooded her thoughts as she recalled the disastrous interview, if you could even call it that. Namiko had prepared her for at least a six-month leave and she barely lasted in Konoha for less than a day.

 _Well he deserved it!_ Ayame furiously thought to that fool of a Hokage she had the misfortune of meeting. How had he even been chosen? Surely there had been other, worthier choices for that job!

As her attention shifted in how to procure a carriage to get her back to the temple, she didn't hear Takemaru step in.

"Ayame-san."

"Don't worry, I'm leaving." She didn't bother turning around. "I'll have someone take me out of the village soon enough, just give me an hour."

"That won't be necessary."

 _What?_ She whirled around, not understanding what she had heard. To her bewilderment, Takemaru was looking at her with relief and possibly some measure of gratification.

"If you wish to, you are welcome to stay here."

"Stay?" Ayame repeated, incredulous.

"As the newly appointed physician to the Hokage, these are now your new permanent quarters." Takemaru bowed. "The Seventh has asked that you remain in Konoha."

She could hardly believe what she was hearing but she had not forgotten her resolve. She had meant what she said, it would be unnecessary and quite frankly, a pain to have that idiot of a man as a patient. She declined as gracefully as she could. "Thank you but no."

"It is an honour to serve a Hokage."

"No, it's an honour to serve others, not one man who stands above the rest." Ayame retorted. "'Serving' him as you put it would be a disgrace to my vows."

"The Seventh will donate a substantial sum to your temple if you stay on board." Takemaru countered with an offer.

"What?" Well. She had not expected _that._

"Konoha will contribute." Takemaru affirmed. "We know your temple has been financially struggling for some time and as you stated, you and the other healers there do a great deal of important work for your community. We want to make sure that you can continue doing so."

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are you trying to bribe me in staying here?"

"No," Takemaru held up his hand in a conciliatory manner, "it is a gift. Think of it as a gesture of goodwill. All that we ask is that you join the Pavilion household—"

"I don't think I'm in any position to accept for my temple's behalf." Ayame interrupted in a stiff voice. "That would be my Lady Asagao's place and even if she were here, I doubt she'd want money from that cretin of a Hokage."

"And yet, we are aware Lady Asagao is travelling abroad and she will be hard to reach." Takemaru pointed out, choosing to ignore Ayame's insults. "As you are the candidate that the temple sent to us and now that you are here, it is only natural for you to be presented with the terms of our offer."

"But he doesn't need a doctor."

Takemaru's face seem to soften. "That is what Hokage-sama wants us all to believe. The truth is, he is in constant pain. He has been for a long time." He said gently. "I know that he has offended you and you have every right to be upset with him. It may be too much to ask of you but please try to understand. He is a complicated man and has suffered a great deal in the last few years."

Ayame scoffed. "I doubt that."

"The Hokage has not always been well-received by our village." Takemaru's whitened eyes grew opaque. "As a child, he was shunned because he had been sealed to imprison the Kyuubi when he was born. He grew up an orphan and had no friends until he was twelve. These two friends were all he had in the world...and he lost them for a time.

"The war reconciled him to one of them but the other died. He became a changed man. He no longer laughs like he used to and is more constrained than ever before, because of the limitations of his injury. My lady Hinata has been most affected by this change and it saddens her deeply. All she wants is for him to smile again."

"If the issue is with his arm, I think I can fix that." Ayame replied at length, carefully considering all that Takemaru had said. "But I can't repair his heart, if that is what you are asking for. It's beyond a healer's skill."

"Your duty would of course be to restore his physical health." He acknowledged. "But I hope in doing so, he can also find a friend within you."

"I'm not sure if we can get along." Ayame cautioned.

"Does this mean that you will take on the position?"

She hesitated. Money for the temple was always welcome, the gods only knew how much they relied on donations but even that had slowed in the aftermath of the war. The temple had always striven to be self-sufficient but how many winters could their little garden last them? She knew the refugees were growing in number; she had treated so many already with dwindling stores last spring. Namiko surely would have accepted and wouldn't she be grateful for the influx of cash? Perhaps she didn't need to be told what the terms were.

"How much are you and the Hokage giving?"

"We are prepared to give ten thousand." She heard, much to her shock. The sum was too substantial to ignore. Namiko would kill her if she didn't take this.

"And how long do you expect me to be here?"

Takemaru raised a brow. "It's permanent, Ayame-san. You would be the Seventh's physician for his entire lifetime."

Permanent, yes, that was the understanding. But Namiko had predicted for her that she would only be gone six months before her eventual return to the temple, convinced that the Seventh wouldn't keep her any longer than that. Ten thousand ryuu was not a bad deal for that timeframe, although Takemaru would have no way of knowing that. Besides, the Seventh disliked her already, she was sure she'd be let go by then. There was nothing to lose here, only a gain.

She looked to Takemaru who expectantly waited for an answer.

"All right." She agreed, much to his visible delight. "Tell your Hokage that I accept his terms."

 _The next six months_ , she thought to herself, _couldn't come sooner enough._


	3. Descent

No sooner had the ink dried on the parchment, Ayame was named the new physician and unceremoniously shuttled to the village hospital where she was greeted by the medical staff. They met her with cool politeness, perhaps out of deference to her status, but she also received curious stares and whispers. Takemaru noticed and apologised to her afterward, explaining that it had been decades since a healer from the Hidden Moon temple had been seen in Konoha's parts.

After that, she found herself regretting agreeing to the bargain as she quickly discovered that aside from twice-a-week meetings with the Seventh, she was virtually left on her own in the Pavilion. In spite of the grandeur and dazzling wealth that surrounded her, there was little to do. All the daily tasks that she had done herself were now taken care of by a host of servants who waited on her every need.

By the end of the week, she was stifled.

Rising from her bed one morning, she decided to take a tour of the Hokage's private garden. There were many in the Pavilion but this one interested her the most. There was little sense of a deliberate arrangement; it was as if the gardeners had deliberately let the blooms grow untamed. Slipping on her grey robes and binding her veil with the iron circlet, she stepped out to the inner court.

The Pavilion was quiet and empty but for a few clutches of maids and pages as they went from one palace to the other. When Ayame reached the bridgeway, she found an oasis of calm as she looked out to the garden pond. Smiling at the white lotuses, she fancied walking over to the water's edge to pluck a few when she caught sight of a man standing beneath the cherry blossom trees.

She knew he could see her. He struck a solitary figure, she thought. His black hair and eyes were in sharp contrast to the pink blossoms around him, like a brush of ebony paint that an artist had carelessly swiped in a pastel portrait. He was dressed like the Konoha nin yet even so, he seemed to stand apart. She could not tell whether it was deliberate or if his conspicuous looks were all that separated him from the general populace.

Ayame watched him as he circled the pond and to her surprise, he made his way to the bridge where she stood.

"Hello." She greeted when he approached.

Inscrutable black eyes swept over her in indifference. Unconsciously, her hands clenched the scarlet railing. Not even thirty seconds had passed and this man was already making her uncomfortable.

"Who are you?" He asked without preamble.

Ayame straightened herself a little. "I'm the Hokage's new physician."

"Naruto doesn't have one." The man answered as though to contradict her.

She remained perplexed; the fact that he was addressing the Seventh by name instead of title was telling. Was he a close friend, perhaps? An authority figure? But he looked too young for that so she laid her assumption on the former.

"I was just appointed." She replied though not without a trace of defensiveness. She made it a point to not look away despite her discomfort. "And who are you?"

He did not answer her right away. Instead, he returned her defiant gaze and remarkably held it well. She could not say the same for herself; his eyes were as black as night yet she could sense something lurking behind the darkness, much like a shadowy creature hiding within a cave.

"You're a novice." She heard him remark as she fought not to avert from his sight.

"From the Hidden Moon Village temple." She said. "I guess you're from here."

Again, he was silent. She set her jaw, annoyed at his unresponsiveness.

"Naruto hasn't seen a doctor for a long time...I suppose then, you must be a gift that Hanzei has courteously provided once again." There was an unmistakable note of condescension in his voice.

"Hyuuga Takemaru was the one who wrote to my temple, not Hanzei." Ayame corrected. "I've never met the head of the Hyuuga clan. The Seventh chose me."

 _Well...not really,_ she reminded herself. She was sure that the Hokage had been forced by Takemaru to accept her.

The man seemed to consider her statement for a moment but his face remained impassive.

 _What is his problem…?_ Ayame wondered, feeling quite disgruntled at his behaviour.

"Sasuke." Someone called.

They both turned to see a thin, pale young man with a swirl of jet-black hair approaching. The distinct outline of a sword could be seen from behind his shoulders. This one at least was a familiar face; Ayame recognised him as the captain of the Hokage's personal guard. Sai.

"Naruto's waiting for you in the solar."

Wordlessly, Sasuke went past her and without so much as a goodbye, went straight to the palace of Heavenly Purity.

Ayame sighed when he left, relieved that he was gone, but to her bemusement, she caught Sai staring at her as well. Not quite as rudely as Sasuke but it was clear that he found her appearance striking enough to warrant his full attention. Was it her robes? Even after all these years, she still felt conscious about them.

"Umm...can I help you?"

At the sound of her voice, he seemed to awaken as if in a daze. "No, it's nothing." He said as he gave her a once-over. "You must be the new doctor? I didn't expect you out here."

"Yes." Ayame confirmed. "I came outside to look at the garden."

Sai nodded, still looking intently at her.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No." His trademark, saccharine smile instantly came on to hide his disquiet. "I was only surprised to see you. For a moment, I thought you were…" He paused. "...no, it doesn't matter. The Hokage's expecting you tonight. I'll be taking you to his rooms then."

"It's all right, I don't need an escort." Ayame declined.

"It's protocol." Sai answered back. "I'll have to come with you whether or not you want it."

"I'm not going to kill your Hokage, if that's what you're afraid of." She said mildly.

For some reason, Sai was smiling again. "I know you aren't a threat but it's my duty to protect him. I'm sure you understand."

"Honestly, if you're that worried, you should be following that guy." She nodded to where Sasuke had gone.

"Ah." He gave her a knowing look. "I see you two have already met. Believe it or not, Sasuke is actually the last person who'd take out Naruto. They're best friends. You'll get used to him."

 _Best friends?_ She could hardly have imagined anyone less likely to fit such a description. Then again, Naruto seemed like a jerk anyway so it should not have been a surprise that he was close to this Sasuke. She crinkled her nose in disgust.

"I doubt that. He seemed to think I was sent by Hyuuga Hanzei."

"I'm not surprised he did." Sai said. "Hanzei has a bit of a reputation for being meddlesome. You'll be seeing him a lot around the Pavilion. He is, or at least will be, part of Naruto's family when he marries Hinata."

"You don't like this man." Ayame observed. "In fact, for as long as I've been here, it seems no one does. Why?"

Sai's face was a white blank. "I can't discuss our political matters with a foreigner. It's against—"

"Protocol." She finished for him. "I get it."

"Shall I see you this evening then?"

She wearily nodded as Sai left her alone the bridgeway again. When she returned to her rooms, she rang for dinner and waited out her appointed time as she finished her meal. At the temple, she and the girls had been raised on simple fare. Rice. Vegetables. The weekly ration of fish and eggs. Meat was a rare luxury and try as she might in adopting a more sobre palette, she adored sweet things whether it was a summer peach or a glutinous rice cake.

Now that she was a senior physician in her own right, the Pavilion household took extra measures to remind her, if not subtly, that she could now enjoy the privileges that came with the title. There was a savoury roast venison for her, served amidst a pretty salad of exotic greens. Three types of soup dumplings accompanied the main course and she was given a wondrously refreshing citrus drink to wash it down. Dessert was presented in a crystal bowl piled high with fruit.

 _This must cost a fortune,_ Ayame silently calculated the remnants of her meal. It dawned on her that half of Konoha couldn't even afford one dish, the refugees even less so. She guiltily pushed the last bits of her dessert around her plate, wondering how ethical it was to be sitting here enjoying her dinner and yet knowing people were starving. The paradox was discomforting.

When she finally set down her silverware, her dishes were promptly cleared away and she gathered her medicine kit. Sai met her outside and together, they progressed their way to the Hokage's private rooms.

She found the Seventh already dressed for bed and sitting at his desk, leafing through a scroll. The privacy screen had been rolled back, giving her a clear view of him this time.

"Just get on with it." Naruto ordered without even looking at her.

Sai glanced at the novice, as if surprised by the cold reception she was receiving.

Ayame bit her tongue and instead focused on the task at hand. "I need you to roll back your sleeves."

The parchment crinkled as Naruto continued reading. "Why?"

"Because," she strained to be polite, "I need to take your vital signs, and that includes your blood pressure and pulse. I also need to check your arm."

Wordlessly, Naruto did as she asked. As Sai retreated to give her room, she stepped forward and knelt down to see his unaffected limb. Gently, she measured his heart rate and using her chakra, she took his blood pressure only to find it on the higher side than she would have liked it to be. When she reached for his other arm, he flinched.

"Please." Her eyes went up to look at him. "Let me."

Slowly, he shifted his attention towards her, blue meeting green as he did so. He realised that this was the first time that he had seen his healer face-to-face. At their initial meeting, he had been so worked up that he hadn't paid attention to what she had looked like. The wimple resolutely covered her entire head in a strait show of modesty; the veil over it almost moved as though it was her hair. The iron circlet darkly gleamed in the candlelight from his desk showing a curved world in its thin metallic line. Her grey robes hid whatever shape she had, if she had any to begin with. It was oddly frustrating to have so much of her features hidden from view; it was as if he was looking at a colourless, unfinished portrait.

The rest of her face was uncovered and to his surprise, he found it arresting. Her features suggested that had she lived as a free woman, she could have been considered lovely. Her eye colour was a striking shade, somewhere betwixt jade and celadon.

It had been a long time since he had seen such eyes with a colour like hers.

To his wonder, Naruto felt a rush of warmth followed by a swath of soothing cool. He looked down at his arm to see the iridescent glow of chakra as Ayame expertly moved it back and forth from his shoulder to his fingertips. Her slender hands curved forward, traversing the chakra to his other shoulder, just where the stump of his lost arm and the metal appendage met. Instantly, there was relief.

"...your chakra is very blocked here." He heard her say. "It's so strained. I think that's why your blood pressure is high. It's trying to pass the energy to what's left of your arm but it can't."

He tried hard not to be lulled into sleep as the pain seeped away. He noticed an unopened ebony box where her medicine kit was locked inside. "I reckon you don't have any herbs that can help with that?"

"Your injury is too extensive." Ayame murmured, too immersed in flowing in more chakra to his body to understand his quip. After she had transversed a sufficient amount, she rose from her place. "You'll be happy to know that generally you are healthy but your chakra flow is impeded."

"Good." Naruto felt more awakened as soon as her hands fell away from his skin. "So that's it then. I just have to work on opening my chakras more."

Ayame hesitated. "It's a little more complicated than that."

"Well I've got plenty of it and I'm good at controlling all seven." He retorted, somewhat insulted at the idea that he was inept at such a basic skill.

"Actually you don't. Most of them are not flowing as well as they could be." She sounded annoyed. "Your arm needs extensive care. Until you can fully open up all seven channels, you need daily infusions of chakra to your arm to lessen the pain as well as lower your blood pressure."

 _Daily?_ He frowned. "What exactly d'you mean..."

"I need to see you every day from now on to help you release the channels." She replied in a tart voice, making it clear that she herself did not look forward to the treatment plan.

"No." Naruto's denial came swiftly. "You don't need to do that."

"Naruto." Sai interjected, earning both of their attentions. "Your healer would be remiss in her duties if she doesn't."

Naruto looked irritated. "Takemaru or someone else at the hospital could do it."

"Your medical staff, much less your assistant, don't have the control or chakra level to sustain that kind of treatment for you. But _she_ does." Sai inclined his head to Ayame.

The Seventh opened his mouth to protest further but realised what Sai said was true. There was no going around this at all. Displeased, he turned to his healer.

"I can't have you treating me during the day, there's so much that goes on that it'll be hard for me to see you."

"It'd have to be at night then." Sai suggested, much to Ayame's and Naruto's open dismay.

"Fine." Naruto shirked his arm away from her. "Are we done then?"

"I suppose it's enough for a first-time assessment." She testily answered.

"How long does this have to go for?"

She paused. "It depends. Everyone's chakra levels are different. Yours are exceptionally high but as I said, they aren't syncing as well as they could be. I think your body has been trying to compensate for the loss of your arm and reconfiguring the pathways."

"My body's fine."

Ayame sighed. "I know this isn't what you want to hear but you do need long-term treatment and the duration of that is entirely dependent on your attitude towards this. You can't fight me all the time when I'm trying to help you."

"I don't need help." Naruto harshly responded.

She gazed at him, taking in the resistance and all the negative interactions they had thus far. She did not know where his anger was coming from but she had known patients like this. Too prideful to ask, too stubborn to listen. Pride comes from shame, Lady Asagao had once taught her. Understanding was vital in eliciting empathy.

It was something she struggled in communicating across. With children, it was easy to care for them no matter how fretful they were but patients who were combative often tested her patience to the point that she would talk back, a habit she had tried to curtail with great effort. Of course, it went without saying that the Seventh seemed to have a natural talent in setting her off. But she was a doctor first and foremost; personal feelings had no place nor could it be used as justification for impeding care.

"You do need help and that's why I'm here." She tried a more compassionate approach. "You can get better but you have to _want to get better_. I don't know what it is you're afraid of, but whatever it is, I'm willing to help you through that even if we don't know each other that well."

Slowly, he turned to look at her and for a moment, she thought perhaps that she had finally said something that got through to him. Instead, she saw his eyes darken with anger.

"Why," she heard him say in a low voice with unmeasured hostility, "would I let _you_ of all people help me?"

"Because I'm your healer." She said with an even voice as she withstood his stormy gaze. "That's my job."

"Then just do that." His icy reply cut through her. "Nothing else."

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They scheduled their next meeting two days later, leaving Ayame a brief window of time in which to contemplate and plan her treatment.

When she had configured most of her course of action, she found herself having a few spare hours and decided to spend them outside the Pavilion grounds. She had had little chance of exploring Konoha and welcomed the idea of learning more about her new village, if only for a little while.

She slipped away from the Hokage's residence and entered the Inner Court, cutting across the garden. An overcast had faded out the sun's brightest rays to an iridescent grey. She thought she had a clear path out when she saw a small entourage of maids escorted by Takemaru, walking past the Earthly Tranquility palace. Curious, she peered at the group. At the lead, she saw a petite woman with flowing, long hair that was the colour of bellflowers. Her richly-cut robes were in an elegant shade of lavender that complemented her well and as she drew closer, Ayame saw that her eyes bore the trademark white of the Hyuuga clan.

"...please don't be disappointed if you cannot see him today." Takemaru could be heard saying.

"He promised we would have dinner tonight." Hinata's voice was gentle and tempered with grace as she progressed towards the Heavenly Purity palace. "And Naruto never goes back on his promises."

"My lady, he is now a Hokage and has a duty to others." Takemaru reminded her. "I know you understand this better than anyone else."

"I rarely see him." A cloud of dismay passed over her snow-like irises. "He...almost never wants to see me unless I ask him to."

"That isn't true." Takemaru said reassuringly.

"Has he said anything to you about the wedding? My great-uncle is frustrated, he asks me about it every time I see him. He says our clan is impatient at the delay."

"He hasn't discussed the subject with me." Takemaru admitted. "He is still feeling unwell but we have appointed a new physician for him who shows much promise...ah, there she is." He inclined his head to Ayame, acknowledging her presence.

Hinata and her maids all looked to see the young woman lowering her veiled head in greeting.

"It's lovely to meet you." Ayame smiled as she rose. "I am the Hokage's new healer."

To her confusion, Hinata stared at her in dumbfounded silence. Takemaru too, noticed the odd reaction and placed a tentative hand on her shoulder.

"My lady, this is Ayame-san. She is a novice from the Hidden Moon Temple."

Startled, Hinata turned to look at him then at Ayame again. "A novice?" She repeated as she struggled to regain composure. "Yes, of course…."

"Are you alright?" Ayame tentatively asked.

"Yes, I am sorry," Hinata apologised. "I was just...surprised. Ayame, was it?" She gave a wan, formal smile. "How is Naruto?"

"He could be in better shape but he's overall condition isn't serious. You don't need to worry." Ayame said, trying to end on a positive note.

"Really?" Hinata seemed cheered at the news. "I'm glad to hear of it. Are you liking the Pavilion? Have you been situated in your rooms?"

"She has, her quarters are within the Hokage's residence." Takemaru answered for Ayame.

Somehow, Ayame knew that Takemaru hadn't intended the effect this trivial piece of information had on Hinata. There was some measure of surprise followed by realisation, disappointment, and strangely, sadness.

Ayame watched the myriad of emotions flickering over Hinata's pretty face and felt perplexed. Was the girl upset that the wedding plans were halted?

"My treatment won't be for too long." Ayame continued, hoping this was what Hinata needed to hear. "I'm sure that the Hokage will recover soon enough and when he does, you two can marry at the earliest date."

"Precisely what I said." Takemaru added, bolstered by Ayame's optimistic prediction. "There is nothing for you to worry about, Lady Hinata."

"Yes." Hinata agreed, though her eyes continued to gaze upon the newly-appointed healer. "Let us hope for that."

Ayame lowered her head again as Hinata walked past, continuing her way to see the Seventh.

 _That was strange,_ she commented to herself as she exited the Inner Court, wondering over Hinata's reception. The Seventh's betrothed was in an unhappier state than she had realised. She thought about broaching the subject with him but ultimately dismissed the idea after imagining his reaction to her talking about something so personal to him. Then again, it really wasn't her business and she was here solely to alleviate his physical wounds.

" _Nothing else."_ Naruto's curt command echoed in her memory. They would never be friends, he was clear on that.

 _Why is he always so angry?_ Ayame wondered in exasperation.

The outer court guards initially blocked her attempt to enter the village proper but after explaining she only wanted a brief outing, they grudgingly let her aside, sternly reminding her to return at a reasonable hour.

She explored the market square first, letting her eyes leisurely flit among the goods of each stall. On a whim, she purchased a sweet dango from a local baker. Sliding off the sticky rice cake from the skewer with her teeth, she chewed on it thoughtfully as she meandered deeper into the village's main streets. She watched the scenes of daily life play out before her in quiet contentment: the farmers bringing in rackety carts with their produce, a pair of workmen lifting heavy bags of rice, children running past, the coloured banners that hung above her in the rafters of nearby buildings.

When her line of sight returned to earth, she noticed a stunning array of flowers arranged in colourful clusters. Smiling, she reached to pluck out a particularly deep scarlet rose and brought it to her nose, breathing in the scent. She drew back, pleased, and looked up at the florist.

"How much?"

"Two ryuu." The florist answered as she came closer. "How can I help you—"

Instantly, she blanched.

Ayame's smile wavered. "Umm...the rose is two ryuu right?" She awkwardly asked.

The woman continued to stare.

Ayame fumbled for her coin purse in her grey robes and handed the florist two gold coins but the money was not taken. It was as if the florist was rooted to the spot in terror. Uncomfortable, she rapidly began thinking of reasons for the reaction. The first that came to mind was her modest clothing. Was this woman afraid of temple maidens?

"I'm a novice-healer." She explained, hoping this would be enough.

Still, no reaction.

Slowly, Ayame's hand retreated with the money. She studied the florist carefully now, noting her light hair and unusual chromatic eyes. There was something familiar about her…

"Oh." Ayame relaxed when she found the answer. "I thought I recognised you...you're one of the head medics at the village hospital. I met you a week ago. Your name is Ino, isn't it? Takemaru introduced me to your staff, I'm the Hokage's doctor."

" _The Hokage's doctor?_ " Ino finally spoke up, repeating her last words in incredulity.

"That's right." Ayame smiled. "Although, you'll have to forgive me, I didn't realise you also owned a flower shop…"

"Oi, Ino!"

The women turned, seeing a pair of Konoha nin walking towards them. Both had wildly spiky hair, a curious style that much of the men in this village seemed to favour. But that was where the similarity ended. One had a more serious countenance juxtaposed by an obvious sign of boredom in his eyes. The other looked nothing short of savage with tribal red paint streaking his cheeks and a mane of brown hair that reached his waist. His outfit of a boarskin vest and the elephant bone club he carried at his waist fascinated Ayame as she had never seen anything like this man.

"Shikamaru? Kiba?" Ino seemed to returning to her senses.

"You coming to lunch with us?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah, in a minute." Ino glanced at Ayame uneasily.

"Come on, we've been waiting for you for half-an-hour already!" Kiba was impatient. "Get on with it!"

"I said just a minute." Ino snapped, untying her apron and throwing it to the side. Whatever anxiety she had displayed earlier was rapidly dissipating into irritation. "Can't you see I have a customer?"

Kiba scoffed. "It takes you _that long_ to ring up one item?"

"At least I still know how to do basic arithmetic." Ino sniped. "You can't even count change."

"Whatever." Kiba dismissed with a nonchalant wave and was about to say more when he caught sight of Ayame. He jabbed his elbow to Shikamaru and pointed out the girl to him. Now, all three were staring at Ayame with unabashed shock and confusion. Growing perplexed, she laid the coins at Ino's counter then turned to go. "Thank you for the rose."

"Wait!"

Ayame looked back.

"Are you really the Hokage's doctor?" Ino asked.

"Yes." Ayame replied, wondering why these people found it so hard to believe she was the new physician. It was getting insulting.

Kiba gaped at her. " _You're_ Naruto's _doctor?!_ "

"Yes." Ayame repeated, nonplussed. At the utterance of the Hokage's first name, she realised these people must also be close friends like Sasuke.

"God damn it." Shikamaru sighed. He sounded exasperated, as though he somehow found this entire situation troublesome although Ayame could not fathom why.

"What's your name?" Kiba demanded.

"Minamoto Ayame."

"What're you? Why're you dressed like that?"

"I'm a novice." She was getting increasingly vexed at Kiba's incessant questions.

"What's a novice—" Kiba began.

"It's a temple maiden, stupid!" Ino snapped. "It means she's taken the first set of her vows. She's a junior member of her order."

"I don't know stuff like that off the top of my head!"

"Go read a book for once."

"Let's just go to lunch then, shall we?" Shikamaru cut in between their bickering. He could only give Ayame a polite nod of acknowledgement as he ushered Kiba and Ino away from her. "It's nice meeting you, Minamoto-san."

"Why're you making us walk away?!" Kiba burst out, when they were a good distance from the novice. "I wanted to talk to her!"

"You were scaring her, idiot," sighed Shikamaru.

"No I wasn't! I wanted—she's—" Kiba sputtered before shouting: "THAT GIRL LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE SAKURA _!"_

"So?"

"SO?!" Kiba repeated in disbelief. "Are you for real? _You're not even curious?!_ "

"I can't believe Naruto." Ino now made her displeasure known. "How could he hire someone like that? It's like he has no respect for Hinata."

"It's not our business." Shikamaru warned, knowing precisely where Ino was going with this.

"Yes it is! And don't defend Naruto just because he's the Hokage now."

"I wasn't going to."

"Why didn't Sai tell me that girl was Naruto's personal physician?!" Ino angrily asked. "All he said was that she was a novice! No details!"

"It's just an uncanny resemblance, that's all." Shikamaru said after a long, awkward pause. "It's been years, Ino. You can't...it's just not possible."

"I know." Ino looked away. But inside, a dark swirling storm was brewing within her mind. For a few precious minutes when she talked to that novice, it was almost as if she were speaking to her old friend again. But as Shikamaru had pointed out, that was impossible. Sakura was gone and as far as Ino knew, there was nothing in this world that could bring her back.

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Ayame faced her first night session with a certain sense of dread.

The only consolation she could find in this situation was the knowledge that at the very least, Naruto would be asleep. His big fat mouth would stay shut and she could pass the night in silence without having to hear him say something stupid.

When she was allowed into the Hokage's bedchamber by Sai, she found Naruto already dressed in nightclothes and sitting in bed.

"You're late." He said.

"She was out in the village, it took her a while to get back." Sai explained as a way of an apology.

Naruto did not reply. Instead, he got under his covers and started to tuck himself in. Sai motioned for Ayame to sit at a chair placed at Naruto's bedside.

"I'll be here too." Sai pointed to a remote corner of the room where he would be staying. "When you're finished, I'll take you back to your chambers."

Ayame frowned at what she considered to be an unnecessary degree of hovering. "Why?"

"It's for his protection." Sai replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"For the last time, I am _not_ going to kill him." Ayame said flatly.

"Will you shut up and start already?" Naruto snapped.

It took a great deal of effort on Ayame's part to not thump Naruto soundly on the head for his rudeness. Primly, she took her seat and turned to face his lying form. Pulling back her sleeves, she outstretched her hands before his chest.

"I need you to relax." She told him.

"What're you going to do?" Naruto warily eyed her hands.

"I'm unlocking your chakras. Remember?" Ayame reminded him. "You have to be in a calm state for this. It won't work otherwise."

"Well it's kind of hard to relax when I've got you and Sai watching me sleep."

"Just close your eyes." Ayame commanded in a stern voice.

Reluctant, Naruto did as he was bidden. She watched his chest rise and fall in a comfortable, reliable pattern. Knowing he was still awake and he could hear her, she lowered her voice to a murmur.

"I am going to try to open your first and second chakras. Once I start the process, we can't stop until we open all seven. I won't be doing this all in one go, it will be gradual because the experience can be intense. In doing so, I will be unlocking your memories. Work with me to guide us through them."

She paused, waiting for Naruto to make a smart remark but for once, he was quiet. Taking a deep breath herself, her hands emitted a green glow as lightened streams of energy swirled and danced about her fingertips. Gently, she placed her palms against Naruto's chest and braced herself.

The Hokage's bedchamber swam in front of her eyes and vanished as a host of vivid images blitzed before her. She could feel pressure building in her ears and a coldness that seeped into her entire body as she entered into the dark recesses of Naruto's mind. The only tethers she had to reality was her voice and Naruto's, the latter guiding her through the wells of memory.

A scrawny boy, no more than twelve, surrounded by mist...his face and hands marred by hundreds of cuts. Beside him, there was another boy lying on his back. The shadow of a larger, more formidable enemy loomed before them. The scene flickered and flashed to other memories, each one increasingly becoming more violent and darker. A young girl trapped in a monster's hold. Faces of the dead twisted into unnatural shapes that charged toward a gang of unarmed Konoha nin.

" _Are these the battles you've faced?"_ Ayame's voice echoed amidst the filtered world of blue and grey memories.

" _Yeah."_ She heard Naruto reply.

" _Do you know why we are seeing these particular fights?"_ Ayame asked. _"It's because these are the moments when you most feared for your survival."_

An indescribable panic and sadness arose in her; a feeling so foreign as she could not understand why she felt this way for people whom she had never met. But the pain was so tangible that she could not ignore it.

" _I see...you were afraid that if you didn't make it out alive, no one would be able to save your friends...the people you cared about."_

" _I have to save them."_ Naruto said. _"What if they die?"_

The determined simplicity of his statement touched her. It was surprising to see that the Hokage was, in her opinion, unusually caring of his village when he had treated her with ill-disguised contempt.

" _Let go of your fears. Surrender to them, let it all go. Accept that there are possibilities where you or your friends can be hurt. All you can do is to try your best; you are not the master of fate."_

But no sooner had Ayame said those words, she was hit with a collage of faces that flickered and faded in the grey gloom. There was Sai, Sasuke, a few others that she recognised but many others that were unfamiliar to her. She almost reached the visage of a girl when she broke her concentration, cutting off the memory stream.

" _Let it go, Naruto!"_ It was the first time she had used the Hokage's name. She knew it was inappropriate but under the circumstances, she felt she had no other alternatives to get his attention. _"Let your fear go."_

Ayame knew the first chakra had unlocked itself when she found herself standing in what seemed like a soft, white blank. Emboldened, she strengthened the connexion further as she delved deeper into Naruto's mind for the second.

The whiteness instantly became corrupted once more by blue-grey shadows that spread all over her like ink blooming over parchment. She saw the Hall of Supreme Harmony dazzling with lights and large swaths of finely-dressed crowds who were applauding. At the centre of the court, she saw Naruto and Hinata standing together then realised that she was seeing a memory of what must have been their engagement ceremony. Luminous with regality, they looked like a glamorous pair and she would have judged it to be a picture of a happy couple had it not been for the expression on Naruto's face. He was smiling yet it seemed more of an artifice than a genuine feature. His eyes seemed to look elsewhere, distant and distracted. He was among so many people yet he moved along them as if he were alone.

Suddenly, a gentle fall of cherry blossom petals descended down upon the image like snow, and when Ayame turned, she saw a man kneeling over what looked like a grave.

 _"...I promise..."_ She could hear his whisper, the strain of grief in his voice. _"I promise, Sakura..."_

Even though it was mere memory, an illusion that could neither see nor feel her presence, Ayame was drawn to it. She walked closer to the figure but when the man rose and cast his face to her view, she stopped at the sight of him. It was not just his tears that shocked her but the agony reflected in his eyes. It was as though she was looking into the very image of human loss and it took her a long minute to realise that it was the Seventh.

That rude, conceited Seventh...was capable of such emotion...

"ENOUGH!"

Ayame was nearly thrown backwards as Naruto severed the connexion between their minds. In an instant, Sai caught her before she fell out of the chair. Dazed, she looked down at Naruto who was now wide-awake and sitting up.

"What….what were you…." Naruto struggled to speak.

"I was trying to unlock your second chakra but your memory...it took us somewhere else." Ayame tried to explain. "Please, I don't understand. Whose grave was that? You were promising someone—"

 _"Get out."_

The cold rage in the Seventh's voice swiftly cut down Ayame into silence. For the first time, she now finally understood why people looked to the Seventh in awe and dread. She could sense the deadly undertone of beastial energy within the Hokage's body. It spiked the moment she had uttered the word _promise_ and had hit her with a singular note of awful, terrible power. It was a sliver of the chakra store he had but even in that amount, she was struck by the raw demonic force and wondered how a human could contain it.

"You had no right to see that memory." Naruto bore his gaze at the healer and it seemed to her that his eyes gleamed red with anger. "...leave. Now."

"C'mon, do as he says." Sai muttered to a dumbfounded Ayame who was too shocked to reply.

Wordlessly, she gathered up her things and followed him out of the Hokage's bedchamber, taking care to avoid Naruto's gaze. Hugging her medicinal bundles to her chest, she quietly padded out to the screen doors which immediately opened before her then slid to a final close as she stepped out into the night, leaving her patient alone at last.


	4. The Accord

**A/N:** Hello readers! Thank you so much for your reviews! For those of you who have questions: they will be answered in time :) and for the reader who asked, yes, I did emulate the chakra concepts from ATLA. Enjoy!

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Naruto slept badly that night.

He greeted the morning sun with relief but as the day dragged on, he was left exhausted and groggy. It didn't help matters when Takemaru started off with obsessive questions about whether or not he was feeling "okay." He even caught Sai once or twice looking at him with concern.

He could barely concentrate at his meetings; whatever he heard just went in one ear and out the other. Even as he was surrounded by a formidable crowd of Konoha's council elders and half of the Hyuuga clan, his mind went elsewhere. He brooded on the events of the previous night, going through it over and over again, trying to make sense of it all.

Admittedly, Ayame had started the session in an unexpected way. He recalled the intensity as they sifted through his darkest fears and the peace that followed. He remembered an indescribably perfect calm, the weightlessness he felt when he let himself go. Then it all came crashing down when _she_ had pulled him into a more anguishing memory; a secret burden that he had kept to himself all this time only to have it thrown out into the open.

He almost regretted his reaction yet the remorse was quickly squashed when he remembered that she had started the damned process in the first place. According to her, they couldn't stop until all seven chakras had been unlocked and they had only completed one.

 _That stupid woman_! Naruto seethed when he thought of Ayame. He was so angry that he didn't see that he was crushing the ANBU reports in his hand.

"—do you agree, Hokage-sama?"

Caught off guard, Naruto looked up.

He saw all heads turned towards him from the long, mahogany table where they were seated. The full council had attended this morning's session so the meeting room was packed. Sai and Takemaru stood at his right and left, impassively surveying the meeting. Sitting opposite of him at the far end was Hanzei, who was giving him a cold appraising look.

"Well?" Hanzei asked. "Do you agree with our proposition?"

Naruto's mind drew a blank. "What proposition?"

"The ANBU captains went over several suggestions on dealing with the refugees." Hanzei answered with barely disguised impatience. "I have recommended that they be barred from entering Konoha and sent elsewhere without any provisions. I see that the crisis is so insignificant to you that you decided not to expend an ounce of concentration on it."

Naruto glared at him.

"Now that our esteemed Hokage's attention has returned to us," Hanzei turned to the council, "I repeat: my decision stands. We cannot afford to feed and clothe every vagabond that comes into our borders. There is no land for them here. We must repel them from entering into our village. That will send a message to the rest of the world that Konoha does not welcome asylum seekers."

Half of the individuals seated at the table murmured in agreement.

"With all due respect, Hanzei-sama, I don't believe that method will be effective." A first-rank ANBU captain spoke from the right. "We've been trying to keep them away from Konoha lands but there's just too many of them. These refugees will keep coming regardless of how many threats we make. Our understanding is that their own home villages no longer exist or that their birth-countries are too weakened by the war to continue sustaining its local populace."

"Are you suggesting that an elite task force cannot even cope with a group of ragged, defenceless civilians?" Hanzei scornfully replied.

"My lord, it is precisely because they are 'defenceless civilians' that we are hard-pressed on how to handle them." Another ANBU captain answered. "By our estimates, the refugees are overwhelmingly farmers along with whole families with children."

"All the more reason why they should not be allowed in!" A councilwoman loudly opined. "We have enough farmers in our land. What use would they be to us? What we need are highly skilled workers, not a glut of manual labourers."

"Our citizens are also still recovering from the war. It would be unfair to lessen their advantages in obtaining decent work and housing if we resettle the refugees within Konoha." A Hyuuga elder added.

"But we are doing far better than other countries." Another councilman pointed out. "Our treasury is at a surplus. None of our crops have failed thus far and our stores are plenty. Surely we have enough to share."

" _Share?_ More like ravage, when the refugees get their hands on it."

"They already have." Hanzei said, bringing back everyone's attention on him. "I have been informed that Hokage-sama has allowed a rather substantial group of refugees to be housed in the Annex and to be regularly fed."

All eyes turned to Naruto again.

"I believe this was done on your command, Seventh." Hanzei said. "Do you deny it?"

Naruto's jaw tightened. "No."

"Then please explain to your council why you sacrificed our villagers' hard-earned stores of rice and meat to complete strangers." Hanzei's condescension was evident.

"They are not strangers."

"I beg your pardon?"

"The refugees, as you call them, are people who suffered because of _our_ war." Naruto locked his blue eyes with Hanzei's pale ones. "They don't have anyone or anything to go to. What else would you have me do? Let the kids and their parents starve?"

"Magnanimous as you are, Hokage-sama, this is a matter of practicality. We simply do not have the resources to care for another nation's poor." Hanzei silkily replied.

"So why're you spending so much money on my wedding to Hinata and making this stupid Pavilion bigger?" Naruto furiously asked. "I've asked your clan elders four times to get funds for new houses and a second hospital in the village—"

"I will not have the Hyuuga wealth wasted on useless projects." Hanzei cut him off.

"So getting better housing and medical care for Konoha is ' _useless'_ but adding an extra wing to the Pavilion is _worthwhile?_ " Naruto snarled, finally losing his temper. "We've got the money to spend on infrastructure and feed the refugees. You just won't give it out."

Sai and Takemaru glanced at each other uneasily.

"And as for your wedding," Hanzei overrode the outburst, "it is high time that you and my great-niece set a date. Your engagement has been postponed long enough."

Naruto slammed a fist onto the table in frustration.

"I've got a hundred and seventy missions to oversee and a village to protect! Getting married isn't my top priority right now!"

"Hanzei-sama," Takemaru rushed in to speak before Naruto could say anything more, "you remember that the Seventh is rather ill. His arm is still troubling him and it's been taxing on his health. His mind has not been in the best state to think about the wedding."

"So I have heard." Hanzei was looking at Naruto carefully now. "I've been informed that a personal physician has been selected?"

Takemaru inclined his head forward. "Her name is Minamoto Ayame, she is a healer from the Hidden Moon Village temple. She is a novice trained by Lady Asagao and has been _exceptional_ thus far."

Naruto threw him a dirty look which Takemaru willfully ignored.

"Is she?" Hanzei inquiringly glanced at Takemaru.

"Ayame-san is a gifted physician." Takemaru lauded. "I am confident that Hokage-sama will recover in no time and be ready for the wedding soon." He added to soften Hanzei's sceptical frown.

"It's true, Hanzei-sama." Sai seconded much to Naruto's surprise. "I've been observing Ayame-san under close watch and saw her complete a chakra-unlocking session with the Seventh last night. She was extraordinary."

Naruto opened his mouth to counter that Ayame was no such thing when he felt his foot being deliberately squashed by Sai underneath the table.

"I am delighted to hear of it." Hanzei coldly replied but there was no lingering doubt within his voice. It appeared that Sai's and Takemaru's joint statements were enough to convince him for the time being. He gave a curt nod to Naruto. "I look forward to the day Hinata and you are married at last."

Naruto waited until the meeting had concluded and the entire council had stepped out of the Pavilion grounds before rounding on Sai and Takemaru.

"What the _hell_ was that for?" He demanded.

"You're treading on dangerous ground, Dickless." Sai warned in a low voice. "We just saved you from getting your ass kicked in there."

" _Stop calling me that!_ And I don't need your help with Hanzei!" Naruto snapped. "I'm not taking my order back, I want those refugees to be taken care of until I can figure out where to put them."

"Hanzei controls almost half the wealth in the land. You can't afford to offend him." Sai answered evenly.

"I agree." Takemaru said. "You also forget that Hanzei-sama will be your relative when you marry Lady Hinata."

"Who's side are you on, anyway?" Naruto speedily changed tack. "Mine or his?"

"Give him a break." Sai interrupted, coming to Takemaru's defence. "He's always helped you out regardless of his affiliation with the Hyuuga clan." He suddenly became stern. "And you better watch yourself if you talk about your doctor in front of Hanzei."

"Seriously, what was that in there?" Naruto angrily gestured to the empty chairs. "'Gifted physician'...'extraordinary'...that girl is nothing like that!"

"Would you prefer to be taken care of by one of Hanzei's lapdogs?" Sai cut across him. "Because that _will_ happen if you openly criticise Ayame. Until you marry, you need her to stay with you if you want to keep Hanzei at bay. And you owe her an apology for last night."

" _Me?_ " Naruto could hardly believe what he was hearing. "Why do I have to apologise?!"

"You overreacted. She told you that unlocking the chakras was an intense process and warned you in advance multiple times."

"You didn't see what she did!"

"She was doing her job." Sai reprimanded. "Your reaction was inappropriate."

Naruto glowered at him, vexed that Sai of all people was lecturing him about propriety.

"Hokage-sama," Takemaru timidly ventured, "I believe what Sai says is correct. If you wish to retain some degree of autonomy, particularly over your own health care, you need Ayame-san to remain in Konoha until you regain your strength. After your marriage, you will be able to exercise more of your authority as you will outrank Hanzei in the clan."

"If Hanzei _lets_ me." Naruto scoffed in disgust.

"Well if you're so eager to get your power back, why don't you just marry Hinata already?" Sai countered.

"I can't think about that right now!" Naruto shouted, goaded past his endurance point. Distracted, he ran his unmarred hand through his hair, pulling and tugging at the strands into a nervous disarray. Ever since he and Hinata had become engaged, people had besieged them with relentless questions about the wedding that ranged from the date to flower choices. When the one-year mark of their betrothal ceremony had passed, the inquiries became tinged with a darker, invasive curiosity.

It was bad enough that after the Pavilion had been rebuilt, Hanzei insisted that Hinata live in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, the traditional residence of the Hokage's spouse. When the council had objected that the move was against protocol, Hanzei had fought off their criticism with a legal technicality. Hinata was _betrothed_ to Naruto so what was the harm in having her close by to him?

Still, Naruto recalled the rumours circulating Konoha when he hesitated to set and announce an official wedding date. The gossip claimed the Hokage was no longer a real leader but a puppet for the Hyuuga and that he was only marrying for the sake of wealth and power than love. These ugly stories had deeply upset Hinata and Naruto had a hellish time in quelling such kind of talk in the village to spare her from further disquiet. Hanzei had grown increasingly vocal about the wedding's postponement and even Naruto's own friends became exasperated with his uncharacteristic failure to act.

Week after week, month by month, Naruto's reply to questions about his wedding had not changed. He was ill, there was so much to do, so little time. Maybe next fall, winter, spring or summer. The seasons rolled on with no happy event in sight and here he was, two years later, still without a definitive answer. He could easily fight off the council's and his friends' demands but Hinata was different. Every time he saw that soft look in her eyes, he was overwhelmed with guilt. All he could offer her was an apology and she would accept it with admirable grace.

"It's all right." Hinata would often say to him whenever the subject of their impending nuptials would come up. "Of course we should wait until you feel better."

The sweet smile she gave was like a stab to Naruto's heart every single time.

"Well figure something out then, Dickless." Sai said sharply, breaking Naruto out of his thoughts. "Until that time, start with apologising to Ayame-san."

Naruto paused, considering all that had happened within the past day. It was as though he could do nothing right. Perhaps an act of atonement could set things back. After a long while, he sighed.

"Fine." He nodded. "I'll go to her first. Where is she?"

"Her rooms." Sai looked slightly mollified by Naruto's willingness to be contrite.

Together, the three made off for Ayame's chambers in the Palace of Heavenly Purity but when they got there, she was nowhere to be found. Confused, Takemaru immediately called for the Pavilion guards and demanded for her location.

"Where is the Hokage's physician?" Takemaru asked as a sextet of the sentries halted in their progress and bowed before Naruto.

A pair of guards looked at each other in worry.

Takemaru raised an expectant brow. "Well?"

"Erm...she….went to the Annex, sir." One of them finally admitted after a drawn out pause.

"The Annex?" Naruto was genuinely surprised. "Why did she go there? I ordered her to stay within the village borders."

"We told her that, Hokage-sama." A guard said apologetically. "But she was…. _persistent._ She said that you were done with her for the day and she had heard the Annex was holding refugees. She wanted to go and help them. She took some medicine kits with her."

"You let Ayame-san just _leave_? _By herself?_ " Takemaru was thunderstruck at what he considered to be a serious dereliction of duty. "Did you even offer her an escort?"

"She said she didn't want anyone to follow her."

"Hokage-sama!" Takemaru started running after Naruto as he spurned on his heel, the ends of his Hokage robes sweeping behind him. "Hokage-sama, wait! At least bring an entourage—"

"Stay here." Naruto commanded. "Sai, you too."

"But—!"

Too late, Takemaru and Sai watched in silence as Naruto strode off and pushed open the enormous oaken gates of the Pavilion with ease then disappearing as the doors closed behind him with a resounding thud.

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The Annex was a thumb of land that jutted out into the sea.

Edged with Konoha's forests, it had been a nameless territory that bore little significance to the greater part of the Leaf. Uninhabited for years, there was nothing but a few miles of an empty beach. Generations of the village children had flirted with its shores as part of an exploration game or a dare but beyond that, the Annex served little purpose.

But when Ayame encountered it for the first time, she found clusters of feeble tents and rock firepits being tended by a miserable group of people.

The refugees greeted her with stares and silence. They were wary of her and for a long while, she had sincerely regretted not bringing an escort. The crowd unnerved her; it wasn't until she had communicated that she was a doctor that they allowed her to examine them but they still regarded her with a measure of distrust. When they saw she had only brought were medicinal herbs, she sensed disappointment, realising they must have thought she had food and water.

There was a significant language barrier as the refugees came from all over the world, each speaking different tongues, but after testing out a few phrases, Ayame discovered that a vast majority understood the language from the Land of Water. Bolstered by this, she managed to persuade a few families in having their children treated.

"There!" She smiled as she finished wrapping the last of the bandages on a little boy's leg. "You'll be good as new soon. Stay out of the mud, all right?" She kindly reminded him with an affectionate pat on his arm.

The boy eyed the white gauze with interest but said nothing, too shy to say anything back.

Ayame turned to his mother. "Please make sure his leg is kept clean and dry. You can remove the wrappings in a few days."

The woman nodded then motioned to her son to come to her, drawing him away from the mysterious healer.

Another family hesitantly stepped forward to Ayame when she had finished tending to the boy, presenting her with a pair of girls this time. They were shabbily dressed and lacked shoes but aside from their wretched state, the girls were surprisingly cheery and playful. Their eyes were a pretty shade of grey, a common colouring found in the Water village, although the parents identified themselves as citizens of a neighbouring country rather than a citizen from Water.

"Why do you wear that?" The older of the girls pointed to Ayame's veil and circlet. "Are you princess?"

Ayame laughed. "No, I'm not a princess. I'm a temple maiden and this is what we wear." She gestured to her grey robes. "We have to keep our heads covered. That's why I have this wimple on."

"What's a temple maiden?"

"A girl who serves the gods."

"Can I serve too?" The girl's eyes widened in curiosity, not quite sure what the definition meant.

Ayame gave the child a rueful grin. "If you want to but you need to wait, you're too little." She gazed at the girl and her younger sister for a moment. "Can you show me your arms?"

The sisters obeyed as Ayame gently looked over their limbs. To her chagrin, the little girls extremities all showed signs of malnutrition. There was very little herbs could do; what the children needed were food. Guiltily, she thought of the grand meals she was served at the Pavilion. What a stark contrast to the life she had there as opposed to what the refugees endured in the Annex.

After she checked the girls' heads for lice, she finished the examination with a short interview with their parents and gave them a few packets of vitamins.

"I'll return again in three days." Ayame promised to the others as she stood up to leave. "I don't have any more supplies so I need to go back."

"Lady," a refugee haltingly called out to her in the language of Water, "are you from Konoha?"

"I am not." Ayame responded in kind. "I am the Seventh Hokage's doctor."

"The Hokage sent his own doctor to us?" Someone else asked aloud in wonder. This announcement was followed by murmurs of admiration and approval.

"He's a good man." Another refugee from the west stoutly nodded. "His soldiers are the ones who bring us food, after all."

Ayame turned to him, visibly shocked. "The Hokage has been feeding you?"

"Yes, Lady." The western refugee confirmed. "They come every week. They brought us here in the first place when we arrived at the border."

A ripple of surprise went through Ayame as she considered this statement. She was learning all sorts of new things about the Seventh today. He had been helping the refugees all along when she thought he had been content to sit in his palace like a spoiled prince, cocooned from human suffering.

For a moment, she wondered whether she had been too hard on him.

The previous night, she had returned to her chambers, thoroughly taken aback by what she had witnessed. She went over the events and had concluded that perhaps she should have pulled away when the first chakra had been unlocked. She could have given another night of rest before attempting the second and regretted that she had acted rather hastily. In her efforts to speed up the sessions, she had compromised his care.

She owed him an apology.

But the thought of saying sorry to someone as arrogant and pompous as the Seventh….! Ayame pursed her lips in displeasure. She departed from the Annex, privately fuming to herself, and had reached the outskirts of the Konoha woodlands when she heard a voice.

"Hi."

Eyes widening, she whirled around to find Naruto. Nonplussed by his sudden appearance, she stepped back. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." He crossed his arms and looked at her as though he was a parent who had caught his child in a misdeed. "Why're you so far from the village?"

"The Annex is less than two miles away. That's not much of a distance."

"I ordered you to stay within the village grounds."

"I'm not a servant."

"You're my personal doctor."

"That's not the same thing. I have a right to choose to treat you too."

"And as the Hokage, I also have a right to tell you where you can and can't go. You're a foreigner in this land but you're not exempt from our laws."

"If you think for one second, I was going to sit at the Pavilion all day doing nothing, you're mistaken. You didn't need me today but these people do." Ayame's eyes were on fire. "I'm a healer first and foremost. My only duty is to save lives."

She glared at him, waiting for another insulting remark but instead she was met with silence. Curiously, she saw that he was looking at her much more intently than usual. When he spoke, his words confused her.

"I watched you with those kids." His eyes remained on her. "I saw you talking with the refugees."

"Yes, I gave some of the parents herbs and vitamins." Ayame explained, bemused. He had been watching her? For how long and when?

"You were good to them." He seemed to concede. "Thank you."

As if she hadn't had enough surprises today, now he was _thanking_ her.

"There's no need for that." Ayame felt awkward and clumsy all of the sudden. "I….um….heard from the refugees that you're the one who's been feeding them.."

"It's my duty." Naruto replied.

She raised a brow. "But they're not your people. Some would say that means you're not responsible for them. Your village elders won't like the fact that you're helping them."

"You're right, they don't." He admitted, somewhat impressed with her perceptiveness. "But I can't just let them go hungry on my watch. That's not what I signed up for when I became the Hokage."

"Neither was living in a palace?"

"Rebuilding the Pavilion wasn't my idea. That was Hanzei's. I would've stayed at my flat but the Elders kept saying it was 'mandatory' for the Hokage to live there. I didn't have a choice." Naruto replied with a bite of impatience. He shook his head, wondering why he was telling her all this. "You're just a temple maiden, you don't understand."

"I may not be as experienced in leadership as you are but even I can see that you underestimated some aspects of what it means to be a Hokage."

"What would you know?" He snapped. "Have you ever even fought? See your friends die left and right? Your village razed to the ground? Eight years ago, my team and I had to take on a psychopath who wanted to fucking change our entire reality as we knew it. Being a Hokage means serving and protecting others. Instead, I've had to deal with political bullshit the moment I was chosen and can't do what I'm supposed to!"

"Politics has always been part of a Kage's leadership over his or her village." Ayame was amazed that he hadn't grasped this. "You can't just do as you please, you have to work and compromise with people who have different goals than you do."

"The daimyo's goals aren't for the good of Konoha." Naruto heatedly replied. "They haven't been for a long time."

"Why not?" Her voice was neutral as though she were a teacher questioning a student in a classroom. She glanced at the beach behind her, guessing at the crux of the problem. "Does it have to do with the refugees?"

"Neither the Elders or Hanzei want us to help them." His frustration was evident. "They never approve of my proposals for a bigger hospital or more houses to be built. Instead, they just...waste it on stuff that our village doesn't even need."

"Like what?"

"The Pavilion, for one thing." Naruto automatically answered.

"Anything else?"

"Well...and…" He faltered just as he was about to say _my wedding_ but it sounded so stupid that he chose not to say anything further. "...other stuff." He finished lamely.

Ayame considered him for a moment. "I can understand your anger if the council is spending your village's resources on unnecessary things." She said with a note of caution. "But their objections to the refugees are also valid."

"You're not making any sense." Naruto shook his head. "You don't want us to do anything for them either? I mean, didn't you just help these people?"

"Yes, and I intend to for as long as I am here." Ayame said. "But you are the Hokage. The help you give is conditional and not really yours to disburse. You are tied to this land and its people so you have to consider their needs too. Your village alone cannot feed and house all the refugees. Half of the world is homeless. Do you think a single nation can bear that kind of weight?"

Naruto opened his mouth to say yes, yes it could, that she didn't know any better because she was not part of Fire but he fell short. Her words rang with a chilling clarity and resonated with the rational side of his temperament. It certainly was not what he wanted to hear, that even when acting as a protector and defender, he was bound to conditionalities. But there was also something undeniable and right about what she was saying. Konoha could not do this alone.

"You say that the daimyo doesn't have the village's best interests in mind but their refusal to help the refugees is actually stemming from that." Ayame pointed out. "I agree that the refugees shouldn't starve and deserve a chance at starting over. But to do that, it's going to require a collaborative effort."

"I told you, the daimyo won't work with me—"

"I meant an _international_ effort." She interrupted. "You need to call a Kage summit and the five nations can work to address this crisis. The daimyo are resisting because you're trying to solve this problem using Konoha's resources alone without assistance."

He looked at her, seeing the novice in a different light. Even though she was an outsider, she had an intuitive understanding of her newly adopted country and—he hated to admit it—a better grasp at what it meant to be Hokage than he did.

"I was going to call the summit." He retorted somewhat mulishly.

"Fine, that's a start." Ayame said in a crisp voice.

They walked the rest of the way together in silence. When they reached the village gates, she turned to him to say that she could return to the Pavilion on her own when he beat her to the chase with an unexpected request.

"D'you mind if we walked a little more?"

Ayame blinked, wondering what had brought this on. "...why?"

Naruto shrugged. "I wanted to have a word with you."

Perplexed, she followed him to a divergent path that took them around the market streets. By now, evening had fallen and the entire village was alight with the soft, yellow glow of lanterns hanging on lines above them like floating stars. Steam curled upwards from the food stands as the vendors readied their stoves for the late-night crowds whilst the shops shuttered themselves to a close.

As they passed into a quieter, more dilapidated part of Konoha, Ayame fleetingly wondered if Naruto had some dark plans in mind for her but her fears were alleviated when they stopped at a memorial garden. All around her were headstones carved in obsidian or grey marble bearing the names of the victorious dead who rested beneath the soft grass.

Naruto momentarily turned away from her. "I'm sorry about last night."

"It's all right." Ayame was quick to forgive, knowing that the experience had been grievous to him somehow. She did not know the reasons for it but she understood the sorrow. "I shouldn't have gone in too fast. I should've did one chakra at a time."

"Is that why I saw that memory? Which one were you trying to unlock?" Naruto asked, his voice unnaturally quiet.

"The second chakra." Ayame answered, realising at last what had happened. "It's where all our pleasures derive from and is blocked by guilt." She studied him carefully. "I saw two memories. One was of you with Lady Hinata. The other was….well….you were here." She gestured to the cemetery.

It was a long while before Naruto could reply and when he did, his voice shook with the effort to keep it steady.

"A long time ago," he said, "I lost someone who was close to me. I never got a chance to tell her….some….things she needed to hear. She died so suddenly, I couldn't do anything about it. I didn't get to save her."

"Is this your friend Haruno Sakura?"

Naruto stared after her, startled.

"Takemaru mentioned it to me." Ayame murmured, slightly abashed.

"Yes, that's her name." He muttered, making a note to have a discussion with Takemaru later about privacy. His eyes went to a southern plot where a white marble marker was. A dying bouquet of pale lilies lay at its feet.

Ayame watched him, seeing the change in his facial expressions. It was like seeing a cloudless sky darken with rain and turbulent wind. For a teenage girl to affect him so deeply even after all these years was remarkable.

"Why do you blame yourself for Sakura's death?" She asked.

"Because I wasn't there for her."

"I was told that she died from natural causes. I don't think there was anything you could have done to prevent it."

"Yes I could have!" Naruto whirled around to fully face Ayame. "I always made it in the nick of time to save her. Always. Then the one time I couldn't….the one time I wasn't there…"

"You can't rescue everyone from death."

"I do, every night." She heard him say. "Every night, I save Sakura. Every time, I'd do something different. I'd be faster, more clever. I imagined it dozens of times, lots of different ways. The hardest part is waking up and realising that it was all just a dream."

Ayame gazed at Naruto, unable to recall the last time she felt sorrier for someone than now. Her eyes flickered over to the girl's grave. "You must have loved her alot."

"I do."

The present tense struck Ayame. Suddenly, she understood why she had seen the second memory. "But don't you love Hinata?" She asked. But as she said it, she realised even the phrase was wrongly worded. As if it were an obvious fact that he _should_ rather than he _does._ Choice was nowhere to be found.

At that, Naruto's eyes seem to cloud over in confusion and guilt as he looked away from Sakura's gravesite. "I will."

"Then why," Ayame questioned, "are you marrying her?"

 _Because everyone wants me to. Because she loves me. Because if I don't, it'll break her heart._ Naruto wanted to say but couldn't. A cool breeze gently blew past, weaving along the silence and distance between them. Somehow in these last few hours, he felt closer to this stranger than he had since her arrival. But there was still a degree of separation and even he could see the disapproval in her eyes.

"It's complicated." It was all he could manage.

"Yes, that I can understand." Ayame agreed to his surprise. "I may be a temple maiden but I know that when it comes to love, it does not always run in a straight path. But it's an injustice to your betrothed if you cannot be honest with her."

Naruto nodded unhappily. This was, after all, not the first time he had heard this.

"I think the reason why I couldn't unlock your second chakra was because you haven't come to terms with what happened." She continued. "The reality is that Sakura died and you—regardless of your feelings on it—were not responsible for her death. You are still attached to her. You still grieve for her. These things prevent you from being open with Hinata and enjoying any new happiness you may find with her. You have to accept this and above all else, you have to forgive yourself."

"I can't."

"You have to." Ayame said in a gentle voice. "In order to a positive influence on others, you must forgive yourself first. Because you are the Hokage, this is vital. Accept the realities as they are and from there, you can take the steps to make everything right….including Hinata."

Quietly, she moved towards him until they were only a hairsbreadth away from each other. For once, he didn't turn or walk away. Placing a few fingers on his forehead and another on his chest, she breathed in.

He closed his eyes, edging closer to what she was asking for. Acceptance. Forgiveness.

A green spark ignited at contact and Naruto was awash in a calming sensation in which both heat and coolness ran throughout his entire body. He felt neither pain, anger, or sorrow. Only peace as the second chakra unraveled itself from a tightened, dark coil. Tendrils of energy cascaded over his chest in an iridescent glow before melting away into the skin.

After a long moment, his eyes opened to see Ayame smiling at him. That simple expression beatified her face far better than any ray of sunlight could have.

His gaze softened.

"Thank you." He said as he looked into the green of her irises. "Ayame."


	5. Unbound

From the night Naruto and Ayame had returned from the Annex together, the Pavilion household noticed a significant change.

The staff had known the Seventh to be a hot-tempered man with little patience for anything, much less his doctors. To their surprise, they found him far more receptive to his newly appointed physician than he had ever been with anyone. They guessed at a variety of reasons for the behaviour. Perhaps it was because she was a novice and was employing a calmer touch with him. It was hard not to see how much more relaxed and peaceful the Seventh appeared these days. The morning after every healing session, the entire Pavilion seemed to be bathed in sunshine as the Hokage went about the grounds, smiling and laughing.

But as the glowing reports of Naruto's improved mood spread throughout the Pavilion, so too did the rumours.

It had not escaped the staff's attention that this physician, despite being a nun, was rather attractive. Her background was mysterious for she held no allegiance or citizenship with any known country except her temple. Physical beauty combined with such mystique would certainly attract any man and the Hokage was no exception. Maybe _that_ was why he liked to spend so much time with her.

And of course, there was a widely circulated comment that was gaining much traction. It was said that the Seventh favoured his new doctor because she happened to resemble a girl he once loved.

"And it ain't Hyuuga Hinata, I'll tell ya that!" A drunk nin loudly proclaimed to anyone who wanted to hear him at the Ichiraku ramen shop. Steaming bowls of thick yellow noodles drowning in fatty pork broth lay about the counter as Chef Teuchi tirelessly brought out one after the other for his hungry customers looking for a late-night meal. A slew of them sat at the bar, half-heartedly listening to the insensate debate between the nin and his friend.

"Come off it, it's not like the Seventh can get some ass on the side with Hanzei breathing down his neck." His friend pointed out.

"Gotta admit though, that new doctor's a real looker!" The nin laughed as he knocked his empty sake bottle over. "I'd love to see what's under her robes…"

"Have some respect!" Teuchi snapped from his boiling pots, disgusted. "Hinata-sama is a noblewoman and that physician you're talking about is a temple maiden! Behave yourselves!"

"He's not serious." The nin's friend dismissed. "Besides old man, haven't you seen the Hokage's doctor? She really _does_ look like Haruno Sakura and from what I hear at the Pavilion, she's been spending lots of nights with him."

"For your information, I knew Sakura." The chef angrily whipped off the towel around his neck and bore down on the nin's friend from the counter. "She was one of the sweetest girls I ever met and I was sorry when she died. I have, in fact, seen the Hokage's physician and don't know what you two are talking about. They don't look alike _at all_ if you ask me."

The drunk nin laughed. "Wasn't she kind of a bitch?"

The Ichiraku chef rounded on him in red-faced fury. "Sakura was no such thing!"

"Be real, Teuchi." A Jonin from the centre of the bar counter added. "Everyone knew that girl had a temper. She was bratty as a kid too."

"She certainly was a better tipper than you lot!" Teuchi harrumphed.

"And don't forget that she was a remarkable fighter." A waifish kunoichi spoke up. "She protected the Seventh like no other. If that's not love, I don't know what else it could be."

"Well before she became so respected and famous, there were some odd stories about Sakura." The Jonin commented. "I heard she wasn't so keen on the Hokage and that she was really in love with Uchiha Sasuke."

"WHY in god's name would she go for someone like THAT?"

The Jonin shrugged. "Because he's powerful?"

"The son-of-a-bitch tried to kill her. THREE. TIMES."The nin roared, nearly falling out of his chair.

"I was still at the Academy when she was around." The Jonin sighed in recollection. "I thought she was pretty cute but I reckon Hyuuga Hinata's way better looking. Plus, she's rich."

"Nah, she's too plain for me." The nin absentmindedly waved his hand around as though shooing away an imaginary fly. "I like my girls to have a bit of fire... and Sakura was one _hell_ of a kunoichi."

"Well from what I've heard, she's damn nicer than Sakura was. Nara Shikamaru told me she used to kick around the Seventh if he got her upset. And that was often. But if the rumours are true about the Seventh and that doctor having an affair, that's got to take guts to insult the Hyuuga family like that. He's playing a dangerous game."

"They are _not_ having an affair!" A woman from the far left chimed in. "I've met that doctor and she's really nice! She didn't strike me as a homewrecker."

"Then why are they spending so much time together at night?" The nin's friend turned to address the woman. "Alone?"

"You're just seeing what you want to see." A young man piped up. "As a matter of fact, I'm a Pavilion guard. The reason why that doctor sees the Seventh at night is because he's too busy during the day and she's never by herself with him. There's an ANBU guard that stays in the Hokage's room during her sessions with him and escorts her back when she's finished. She always leaves at dawn."

"OK." The nin's friend momentarily conceded at this new piece of information. "But there's still something fishy about this whole situation. I mean, if I were Lady Hinata, I'd be suspicious. That's all I'm saying."

As the Ichiraku crowd descended into another round of rowdy commentary on the story, no one seemed to notice that Sasuke was sitting in the farthest corner. He listened in complete silence, never once raising his head to the light or contributing to the conversation even though it had concerned him.

Wordlessly, he left money on the counter and slipped away from the ramen shop then into the shadows, leaving the world of normalcy behind him.

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Had someone told Ayame that she would get on famously with the Seventh Hokage, she would have laughed in their face.

Prejudice got her to make up her mind that they would never cross the boundary of professionalism. Experience and time had convinced her to forfeit those first impressions. Until her newfound friendship with Naruto, she hadn't realised how isolated she had been. Now with his company, Konoha felt much closer to home, a place where she could claim roots even though she was a novice.

Temple maidens were supposed to be like the wind, untethered by earthly concerns. Citizenships to nations, material possessions, relationships, and even names were of no importance. Ayame knew the current name she had was not the one she had been given—assuming she had parents—but she had no memory of any time before the temple. She was not alone in this circumstance for it was common for novices to have their memories of their previous life purged when they entered into service. It was an integral process so they could be reborn anew as empty but clean vessels for the gods.

Unconsciously, Ayame pressed the back of her hand against her covered forehead, feeling the impressions of her seal. As far as she knew, none of the girls had this particular...curse...for lack of a better word. She had asked Asagao about it many times but the answer remained the same.

" _You had it when you came to us. It is a protection spell, powerful and permanent. I cannot break it nor should you try. It is something you must carry with you in this lifetime."_ Lady Asagao's voice floated across Ayame's thoughts.

"Are you okay?"

Ayame's eyes went downward to see Naruto lying in his bed. Her hands were now resting atop his chest but the chakra flow had stopped. Relaxing back into her chair, she withdrew and grinned at him.

"Yes, I was just thinking about something."

Naruto looked up at her in bright interest. "What about?"

"It's not important." She shook her head. "Well, that session went a little faster than I thought…"

They had just unlocked the third chakra and to her amusement, she had found that this was the easiest by far. He had more willpower but little shame impeding its flow. Perhaps that explained his arrogance. She glanced at the nearest bedroom window and saw that the sky was still dark except for the glowing lanterns on the Pavilion grounds. She knew Sai was waiting for her outside the screen doors and discerned the faint outline of his shadow near the frames.

"I think that's enough for tonight."

"What? No it isn't, we've got four more to go!" Naruto protested, rising from his bed only to be restrained by Ayame's arm.

"The next one won't be easy to unlock." She warned. "And you need to rest. It's late."

"I'm not going to be able to sleep. There's too much going on as it is." He got up anyway, kicking off the covers. "I sent the summons to the kages this morning."

"Well don't expect them to get back to you right now. They're probably still sleeping." Ayame reminded Naruto. "Besides, this refugee crisis isn't going to be solved overnight. It'll take months to sort out the whole thing and that's assuming the summit goes well."

"It will," said Naruto stoutly. "Gaara and I go way back. The other three have known me for years."

"You may be friends with them but remember that they are also bound by their village's expectations. Their councils and people may want different things that conflict with your needs."

"We'll get this done." His blue eyes seem to blaze with fiery determination. "One way or the other."

Somewhat convinced of his resolve, Ayame could only nod. "All right. In the meantime, I wanted to ask you for a favour."

He cocked his head to the side. "Like what?"

"I'd like to set up a temporary clinic for the refugees at the Annex." Ayame said. "I'll see them on the days that I don't have sessions with you. I'll buy the medicine myself with my wages. All I need from you is a tent."

"That's it?" Naruto started to laugh. "That's all you need? A tent? I thought you were going to ask me for more money or something."

"I can't do that without angering your village and they would have every right to be upset if I did." She noted sagely. "I'm not from Konoha so I can't ask the Land of Fire for anything….well….large."

"Well what's the tent for then?"

"It's for me to set up a temporary place to see patients. You can take it down when—" She stopped as the rest of the sentence died on her lips. _When I'm gone._

"I can get that for you." He promised. "But I'd like to have some of my ANBU guards stationed there."

"I don't need protection."

Naruto frowned. "I'm not totally comfortable with you being by yourself. I've met with the refugees before, they can overwhelm you when they're hungry and desperate."

"I can take care of myself. I've gone to the Annex without anyone and came out fine."

"That's because I sent them food beforehand. Plus, you've only been there once and I walked you back. You think they'd try anything whilst you were with me?"

"Don't be so sure of yourself." Ayame replied, throwing a pillow at his face.

"I'm the Hokage!"

"You're my patient." She clearly differentiated. "Other people might have to listen to you but you've got to listen to me if you want to get better. So go to bed! Now!"

She left Naruto fumbling around his coverlets in what appeared to be an unsuccessful attempt at returning to sleep. Still firm with her decision, she bade him good night and stepped out to see Sai, ready to take her back to her rooms.

"How is he doing?" Sai asked when they were outside.

"He's getting there." Ayame noted approvingly.

"Do you know how much longer it might be before he makes a full recovery?"

"It depends." Ayame cautiously estimated. "With most people, it takes months to unlock chakras but I've only been here a few weeks and managed to finish almost half with the Hokage."

"Takemaru will be happy to hear that." Sai said. "Including Hinata."

"Yes, of course." Ayame nodded although for a moment, she had forgotten about Naruto's betrothed. Now that she thought about it, she had not heard Naruto mention Hinata since the night they returned from the Annex.

Sai paused. "I heard Naruto laughing when he was with you."

"It wasn't anything, he just being cocky for no reason. I had to call him out on it." She dismissed.

"He's been a lot happier recently." Sai continued. "I've never seen him smile this much in a long time. You must be doing well with him."

"As a doctor, I'm glad to hear you think so."

"Yes, you're Naruto's doctor." Sai repeated the word as though giving her a reminder. He glanced at the corridor as though to checking to see if the coast was clear. When he appeared satisfied that no one was there, he turned his attention back to her and said in a low voice: "Make sure it stays that way. You better watch out for yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"You need to understand that he doesn't see you as what you really are. To him, you're someone else and the longer he believes in that illusion, the worse off he'll be. He's forgetting his duties to this village and there are people in this land who'll punish him for that."

"Are you threatening me?" Ayame asked sharply.

"No." Sai denied right off the bat. "I'm warning you to remember what your place is."

She lifted her chin up. "That I'm a servant?"

"That isn't what I mean. I don't think Naruto realises this yet but the reason why he's so taken with you is because you remind him of someone he used to care for. Alot. You even look like her."

"I don't understand." A chill spread through Ayame and she was sure it wasn't the weather. "The Hokage isn't—he's not—he's never—" The words were stumbling out of her mouth.

"Naruto is engaged." Sai said quietly. "And he isn't just engaged to some ordinary girl. Hinata is Hanzei's great-niece and the heiress to one of our oldest clans. This man is a force to be reckoned with and the marriage means a lot to him. He won't take it lightly if Naruto reneges on the betrothal."

Ayame's eyes widened in astonishment. "What makes you think the Seventh would break off his engagement?"

Sai gazed at her. After a long while, he spoke.

"Just concentrate on healing Naruto. If you care about him, if you want to ensure peace within Konoha, you'll do your duty and leave as soon as he recovers."

Lowering his head in a respectful bow, though she did not take it as such, she watched him retreat into the darkness as he left her alone with her thoughts.

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At the end of the week, some of the Konoha villagers reported seeing a massive white tent erected on the Annex's shores. Soon, word spread on what it was for: a temporary clinic for the refugees. The news was met with mixed reactions from the populace. A majority were poorly disposed to the idea but were mollified when they learned that the clinic was solely run by the Hokage's personal physician and she was using her own money for it.

But there were some who still objected. What on earth was the Hokage's doctor doing with refugees instead of taking care of him? They asked. Wasn't that her primary job?

To this, Ayame could only emphasise that she was treating the refugees on the days she wasn't expected to see Naruto. Of course, this was almost a lie as she saw him nearly everyday despite Sai's warning.

Insisting that she needed escorts to manage the queues and help her sort out supplies, Naruto had posted two guards to her clinic but started spending increasing amounts of time there. Although he had no formal of knowledge of medicine, he made himself useful by organising supply runs and would often play with the refugee children as they waited for their appointments.

Every afternoon, Ayame could guarantee running into Naruto and seeing him happily roll around the beach with a crowd of giggling children. Once she saw him demonstrate one of his signature moves Rasengan out on the ocean to much applause and cheers. Another time, he let a gaggle of girls hang from both of his arms as he lifted them up and down, goaded on by their squeals as their feet flew off the ground.

Then she caught him having a contest with some of the boys to see who could fart the loudest and longest.

" _What are you doing?!_ " Ayame's shrill voice scalded the air as the children fell backwards out of fear whilst Naruto was crouched down on the beach, letting an almighty loud release of wind.

Immediately catching sight of her, he blanched. "I was….I was just playing…."

" _You— are— the —Hokage."_ Ayame snarled. "You're supposed to be setting a good example to others. _Especially children._ Instead you're teaching them how to—how—"

"It's just a joke! Chill out!"

"You're disgusting!" She said, revolted.

"C'mon, you don't think it's a little funny?"

"Ugh!" Ayame angrily turned to go, her robes sweeping across the sand as she went.

"What?" Naruto playfully called after her. "At least I'm teaching them a healthy exercise. Farting's good for bowel movement right?"

SPLAT.

A fist-sized sandball hit him right in the face, sending him toppling over and the boys into hysterical fits of laughter.

The clinic ran at a relatively slow pace as Ayame was the only physician available. Try as she might, she was unable to see as many as she would have liked and began skipping meals in favour of prolonging an appointment with a patient until Naruto noticed. He commanded her to eat, much to her displeasure, and even summoned the ANBU guards to escort her back to the Pavilion so that he could ensure she would rest at a decent hour.

"I'm fine!" Ayame lashed out on the third day of Naruto's surveillance. "I don't need you to babysit me—"

"—I'll keep shutting the clinic and sending people away until you've had a decent break."

"There are people who I need to see and other patients for follow-up."

"If you keep doing what you're doing, you're not going to be of any help to anybody." Naruto snapped. "You always harp on me about not resting enough and 'understanding my limits.' Take your own advice for once."

That had shut her up. After all, he had a point; continued resistance would only render her as a hypocrite.

After a relatively quiet week, Ayame judged the time right to unlock the fourth chakra and met with Naruto at night as usual. This time however she asked that they see each other in the garden outside his rooms.

At her request, the servants had arranged a neat and wide circle of lit candles within the pagoda. A small tea service had been laid out as well but Ayame pushed it to the side for later use, knowing that Naruto would need the tea after this session although truthfully it was little more than a homeopathic cure. Chamomile and jasmine were not going to make him feel better after this.

Sai volunteered to watch them from the bridgeway, somewhat of a distance although close enough to rush over in case, as he put it, Ayame tried anything.

"Are you the Hokage's chaperone?" She asked, exasperated by his nightly presence. "He's an adult, neither of us need to be followed around wherever we go."

"I'm his personal guard. Chaperoning is part of the job description." Sai smiled. "Besides, it's not really him I'm watching out for. It's you."

"Why?"

"Naruto can't be trusted to be with girls by himself. He's a pervert."

"What makes you say that?"

Sai gave a nonchalant shrug. "I've patrolled outside of his rooms at night. I know his habits and I can hear him when he—"

"I get it." Ayame cut him off.

She waited for Naruto outside, sitting within the candlelit arc and watching the evening sky turn from pinkened orange to a dark shade of indigo that threatened to turn black at any moment. She was looking at the lotuses in the pond when Naruto showed up and took his place within the circle.

"This is different." He remarked upon sitting.

"I thought the garden would be more relaxing and comfortable."

Naruto grinned. "Can we do this more often?"

"This next session is one of the more difficult chakras to unlock." She maintained a much more sombre demeanour with him this time. "Many people struggle with this particular one and with you, I think it'll be a challenge."

A crease appeared across his forehead. "It's the fourth chakra isn't it? It's associated with love."

"And blocked by grief."

An uncomfortable, tense silence followed this explanation. Betraying some nervousness, Naruto averted his eyes and concentrated on the lotuses floating on the pond.

"...what will you see from me?"

"I'm not sure." Ayame admitted. "But I want you to know that the first phase will be acknowledging all of your losses. It will be painful."

"I'm not scared about that." Naruto said quickly. "It's just that...you...know about me right? That I'm a jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails?"

"Yes," Ayame inclined her head. By now, it was no secret to the world that the Seventh was a carrier of this mythical beast.

"When I'm stressed out or really emotional, Kyuubi tends to take over." Naruto explained. "I've gotten alot better at controlling him but I….sometimes….it doesn't always work."

"I understand."

"What I'm trying to say is, I don't want you getting hurt so if you sense Kyuubi, break the chakra connexion. Okay?"

"I will." Ayame promised. She looked up at him. "Are you ready?"

Naruto nodded as he closed his eyes and relaxed himself in a meditation pose. He heard the rustle of linen robes swishing across the floor as Ayame scooted closer. A gentle heat radiated near him and the moment he felt her hand make contact with his chest, he felt himself being pulled downwards as though something had seized his legs from below and was dragging him into an unknown depth.

To a world, a place, and a time that he had buried within himself.

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The first thing that Naruto discerned in what seemed to be a white void was Ayame's voice.

It seemed to float around him like an elusive tether to the real world. He turned his head left and right but she was nowhere to be seen.

" _Where are you?"_ His voice echoed in the bright emptiness.

" _Here."_ Smiling, Ayame gave a reassuring pat to his shoulder as he turned to look at her.

" _I don't understand."_ He was confused by the colorless blank that surrounded them. _"I thought we were supposed to go into my memories."_

" _We are._ " Ayame gestured behind him.

A kind of explosion took place in the pit of Naruto's stomach. There, standing only a few feet away, were his parents. They looked at him with broad, proud smiles and all he could do was stare at them in awestruck wonder.

" _Mum? Dad?"_

They nodded, never taking their eyes away from him.

He stepped forward, impulsively wanting to run towards them when he caught sight of others. To his shock, Neji materialised beside Kushina. Then Jiraiya. The Third Hokage. Asuma. Haku….

A series of faces that Naruto had known in his past circled him. He turned his head around and around, amazed at how healthy and happy everyone looked. It was an unearthly kind of reunion. But as he went through the crowd, there was someone who was noticeably absent. Eagerly, he looked for her, scanning for a girl with pink hair but she wasn't there.

Then just as he was about to say hello to his mother, Naruto suddenly cried out and fell backwards in shock.

Blood blossomed across Kushina's stomach as she walked towards him, her arms opened in an empty gesture of embrace. Minato followed and to Naruto's horror, he could see blood spurting from his father's lips.

" _No!"_ Naruto scrambled to get up in order to help them but his parents collapsed at his feet, dead. Wildly, he cast around for help and turned to Neji only to see his friend covered in grevious wounds then dropping to the insubstantial floor, lifeless. Where his loved ones once stood, they all fell around him in a growing pool of blood.

" _MURDERER!_ " An unfamiliar voice screamed.

" _You killed them all!"_

" _MONSTER!"_

"I—I—I didn't—" Naruto staggered. He stared at the bodies before him, feeling numb, when all of the sudden, he felt Ayame's hand enclose over his.

" _Naruto…."_ He heard her say gently. _"This isn't real. These are your memories of the people you lost. The voices you are hearing….they are from the past. They can't hurt you."_

" _But they_ did _happen."_

" _You have suffered great and terrible losses from an early age."_ Ayame pityingly replied. _"But the people whom we love never truly leave us. They are still within you…."_

Startled, he saw an even larger crowd standing where the dead had lain except these were people he knew _now._ Friends he had made over the years, others who had become family to him. They grinned at him, each one showing nothing but unconditional support. Kiba. Shikamaru. Ten-Ten. Shino. Lee. Ino. Kakashi. Tsunade. Gaara. Sasuke. Hinata.

" _You see,"_ Ayame pointed out, _"your parent's love and your friendships were never lost but reborn within new forms."_

He looked to her now and was lost within her green gaze.

Suddenly darkness fell, blacking out everything in sight.

Taken aback, Ayame stumbled in the pitch-black chasm, unable to see or hear. Alarmed, she called out for Naruto but there was no answer.

" _Naruto? Naruto, where are you? Where did you take us?"_ She shouted as her voice echoed back. _"Where are you?!"_

Then, as if to answer, she heard the distinct sound of moving chains.

A sliver of yellowed light flickered into view and as Ayame's eyes followed, she caught sight of what appeared to be an enormous prison. Between the fortified bars, a pair of gigantic eyes gleamed at her.

" _ **You."**_ A low, rumbling voice emerged from the darkness. _**"I know you, girl."**_

Ayame's heart leapt to her throat. Frozen with fear, she stared after the eyes, unable to answer.

" _ **Come closer, dear one."**_ Kyuubi's chains clinked about as he stepped into the light, showing more of his terrifying visage. His lips split open into a wide, white smile as he looked upon his new visitor. _**"Finally, you've come to me. You have been gone a long time….you are changed…."**_

" _I don't understand."_ Ayame finally summoned her courage to speak. _"What do you mean that you 'know' me? This is the first time I've gone this far into Naruto's mind."_

" _ **Ha!"**_ The Kyuubi roared with laughter. The sound reverberated and thundered all around her. _**"You are**_ **always** _ **on his mind. How could I forget your face when I have been forced to look upon it all these years?"**_

 _Break the connexion! Break the connexion now!_ Ayame's brain was screaming at her. After all, that was what Naruto had advised her to do if Kyuubi had appeared. She knew she could do it at any moment yet there was something odd about the way the demon fox was speaking to her. His recognition of her was deeply perplexing and what's more, he was implying he had known her for a long time which she deemed impossible.

" _I think you have me mistaken for someone else."_ She said in her firmest voice.

To her confusion, her answer only made Kyuubi laugh harder.

" _ **Why, I don't believe this…."**_ He hissed in delight. _**"...you don't know who you are, do you?"**_

" _My name is Minamoto Ayame. I am Naruto's healer."_

Kyuubi's laughter rang high, cold, and clear throughout the prison. _**"Is that what you are calling yourself now? Very well….Ayame….let's play the game your way. "**_

" _What are you talking about?"_

" _ **You can't play hide and seek with me for eight years then try to cheat me out of a win!"**_ Kyuubi smiled. _**"I won't tell you anything until you explain to me how you escaped my reach after all this time. I knew you weren't gone from this world, you see. I could not find you but I could sense your presence. It was faint but still there. I've been telling Naruto that for years but he stopped believing me."**_

" _You're not making sense!"_ Ayame lost patience with Kyuubi. Still, she could not deny a nagging sensation in her head that there was more to this. A frightening uncertainty gripped her.

" _ **You're changed."**_ Kyuubi taunted. _**"You're lost. You're nameless. You're cursed. "**_

" _Enough!"_

" _ **Naruto can't save you from this."**_ The fox's leering grin grew impossibly wide. _**"You're on your own, girl."**_

" _I SAID ENOUGH!"_

The connexion severed.

Instantly, the garden came into view as Ayame fell backwards, toppling over a few candles. She winced as she felt hot wax stick her veil and struggled to sit up. Almost immediately, she felt Naruto's arms pull her from the floor.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." But to Ayame's chagrin, her reply came out shaky.

"What happened?"

"You don't know?"

"Know _what_?"

Ayame peered at him, as if to discern a lie but all she could see was pure confusion. It appeared that Naruto was unaware of her encounter with Kyuubi.

"Nothing." She lied. "When the chakra unlocked, it flowed out too fast for me to handle. I got pushed out."

"Really?"

"Here, let me check…." She placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and to her grim satisfaction, she felt the chakra pace was quicker than it had been a week ago. "Right, everything looks good."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes!" Ayame snapped. Immediately, she regretted her outburst. She knew it was not Naruto's fault for Kyuubi's interference and she had been warned in advance. But being in the presence of a legendary, demonic creature was a thoroughly unnerving experience. Forcing herself to be polite, she feigned an apologetic smile to Naruto. "I'm feeling a little tired….I think we both should rest. We'll restart the process in a few days."

"I can walk you back." Naruto's eyes were full of concern.

"It's all right."

"But—"

"It's okay."

Shaking Naruto off, she swept across the courtyard and rushed back to her rooms in alarming speed. When she broke through the screen doors, she closed them shut behind her and took a moment to breathe. Suddenly feeling clammy and ill, her fingers trembled as she pulled the circlet off from her head. The veil cascaded to the floor beside her as she struggled to unwrap the stiff wimple. The starched cap came away, exposing her bare head to open air.

She went to the restroom sink to splash some water on her face when she caught her reflection in the mirror. Her own green eyes stared back at her, widened by fright. Then she saw the steady growth of pink hair that had canvassed all over her scalp.

Seized with panic, she whipped open the drawers to draw out a razor. After working on producing a heavy lather from a bar of soap, she spread the foam across her head and pursing her lips in determination, she guided the blade across the skin in even strokes.

Quietly, methodically, she removed every last trace of hair she could find on her head and forced herself not to think about her visit with Kyuubi. It took time to get the back but eventually, her effort was rewarded with a smooth, empty skin. Running a wet hand across her bald head to catch any vestiges of soap, her eyes were glued to the mirror as she watched her reflection and the Kyuubi's voice echoed across her thoughts.

 _You're nameless. You're lost. You're cursed._

No, no, she had to focus. She couldn't let some monster haunt her like this when there was nothing to fear in the first place.

 _You're nameless. You're lost. You're cursed._

"I am nothing." Ayame repeated from memory, remembering the lessons at the temple. "I am only a servant of the gods. I am untethered to this world. I am nothing."

 _You're nameless. You're lost. You're cursed._

So what did it matter if she had no name or family? These were earthly concerns that had no bearing with her anymore. Her memories were irrelevant. The other novices were like her too, even Lady Asagao, with no remembrance of their past identities. She was not lost. She was not cursed.

Her sight suddenly blurred as unbidden tears came to her eyes.

 _You're nameless. You're lost. You're cursed._

Slowly, she sank to the floor, her back to the door as she drew her knees together. An indescribable sadness came over in one powerful wave and before she could stop herself, the tears started to fall.

She bowed her head, unable to understand what was happening. Why had Kyuubi's words struck a powerful chord within her? Why had it brought this confusion and grief?

...what did it all _mean?_

...why….

...why was she feeling this way….?


	6. Dissonance

Takemaru was worried.

He quietly paced about the balcony from the Hokage's private office, keeping a distant but attentive eye on Naruto and Ayame as they sat near the garden pond. They had placed their feet in the cool water, having cast aside their shoes to the grass, and were immersed in conversation together. Every once in a while, Takemaru would hear them laugh but the sound brought on a twinge of discomfort rather than relief.

"What is it this time?" Sai asked, stepping out to the balcony to join Takemaru.

Takemaru gave him a knowing look. "You know perfectly well what I'm concerned about."

Sai glanced at Naruto and Ayame. "I guess you noticed how they've been acting around each other?"

"Of course, I noticed!" Takemaru was visibly distressed. "And the problem is, everyone else has as well. If Hokage-sama continues on like this…."

"You don't need to tell me twice," said Sai. "If it makes you feel any better, I already spoke with Ayame. Consider her warned."

"How did she take it?" Takemaru warily asked.

"As I expected." Sai gazed at Ayame's distant figure. "Obviously, she didn't listen to me."

"Did she refuse?"

"No, she just doesn't understand. Not yet, anyway. What about you and Naruto? I guess he took your advice well?" Sai pointedly looked at the person in question, who was now splashing water at Ayame, much to her consternation.

Takemaru sighed. "I might as well have spoken to a rock." He said in a miserable voice. "Ever since he let Ayame-san set that clinic up, he's insisted on going there every day. At first I tried to block off his schedule on purpose but he cancels all the meetings I make and runs off to the Annex before I can stop him. I have been more direct and told him that he was behaving inappropriately."

"I bet Naruto was happy to hear that."

"He wasn't thrilled." Takemaru admitted. "But he didn't—wouldn't—promise me that he would be more discreet."

They both turned when they heard Naruto shriek as Ayame shoved him into the pond, sending water splashing and tumbling over the pond's edge. The lotuses violently swayed from the disturbance; the blooms clinging to their anchored stems as wide ripples ran across the surface.

"What was that for?!" Naruto sputtered in outrage. A lilypad had clung to his head like a close-fitting green cap before flopping down his neck.

"Stop splashing me!" Takemaru and Sai heard Ayame shout. "Serves you right!"

" _By getting me soaked?_ " Naruto yelled as he sloshed towards her. "I have a meeting to go to in twenty minutes!"

As the two argued, Takemaru and Sai observed their exchange with apprehension. For Sai, it was as though he was watching a real-time playback of his memories on full display. Unnerved, he glanced at Takemaru.

"This _has_ to stop. Keep Naruto busy, chain him to the desk if you have to. I'll put a closer watch on Ayame at the clinic."

"I've been trying." Takemaru sounded frustrated. "I've repeatedly told him how badly it reflects on him to be spending more time with his physician than Hinata-sama."

"We have to do what we can to make sure Hanzei doesn't hear a word about this."

"He's already suspicious." Takemaru grimly confirmed. "I've given him constant reassurances that Hokage-sama needs daily sessions with Ayame-san because of his arm. But I don't think I can hold him off much longer, he is not a man who can be easily distracted."

"All the more reason we have to separate the two and only have them meet when it's necessary." Sai said as he turned his attention back to the couple below. "There's already enough going on as it is with the Summit and Naruto won't want an angry clan added to that mix…."

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The next few days proved challenging for Ayame to follow up with her most famous patient.

When the Kage summit had been announced by the council officials, the Pavilion went into a flurry of activity. The household staff waged war on the palaces as they waxed all the floors, dusted, swept, and scrubbed everything in sight. All the linens, silks, and brocades were washed. Silver, gold, jade, bronze, and porcelain pieces were laid out to be polished. The largest guest rooms were reopened and prepared for the other four visiting Kages including their respective entourages.

The Pavilion kitchens became a madhouse as a battalion of cooks dashed about to prepare meals in advance. Ayame watched in fascination as she saw a never-ending series of wagons coming to the Pavilion gates to deliver foodstuffs. Enormous stocks of fresh venison from the Nara family's lands, baskets teeming with silver-scaled fish straight from local rivers, a host of chickens, crates stuffed with clamouring ducks, whole pigs, and stacks of brown eggs. A bright and vast array of vegetables were followed by buckets of pears, lychees, peaches, melons, and apples. Ever plagued by her sweet tooth, she eyed glittering golden blocks of crystallised honey and the massive trays of delicate pastries that the kitchen hands had put out.

The village was busy cleaning its streets and even went so far as to repaint a few of the older buildings in an effort to look more presentable. Vibrantly coloured banners were hung from windows, many of which displayed Konoha's insignia. Vendors in the market square also went into a frenzy in setting up their shops with their goods. Even Teuchi had been compelled to expand the Ichiraku ramen bar counter by an additional thirty seats.

In the midst of the hustle-and-bustle, Naruto was nowhere to be seen.

Forced to go over an ungodly amount of notes and attend a slew of intelligence meetings, Naruto's mood plummeted to an all-time low. On top of his administrative duties, he was nowcoerced into seeing an onslaught of tailors who were preparing his new state robes for the occasion. Even his chakra sessions with Ayame had been postponed, much to his displeasure.

Deaf to the Hokage's protests, Takemaru dragged him to each appointment whilst Sai bolted the doors to Naruto's rooms, determined not to let him out until he had completed his tasks.

When the Kages arrived in Konoha, Naruto thought he had finally won an opportunity to break away from Takemaru's imprisoning schedule. Unfortunately, he found that it became even more packed than ever before.

After greeting each Kage at the village gates with Hinata by his side, Naruto had to host the welcome banquet the night before the summit. Whilst genuinely pleased to see his old friends, he nevertheless felt stifled as Takemaru shoved speech cards into his hands and reminded him at every available opportunity that he had to display exquisite manners at all times.

"You are Konoha's premier representative," said Takemaru for the fiftieth time that day as he waited for Naruto to change into his dinner attire. "A paragon of virtue and martial excellence. An example for the next generation."

"I know." Naruto ground out through clenched teeth as a valet was adjusting the sleeves on his ceremonial robes.

"You must be gracious." Takemaru continued, seemingly oblivious to Naruto's growing irritation.

" _I know."_

"Above all else, you must control your temper."

"I KNOW!" Naruto yelled, badly startling the valet.

Takemaru sighed. "There's no need to shout."

"Well you've been a pain in the ass." Naruto snarled. "I haven't had a decent break since I called the summit."

"It was necessary to prepare you on talking points when you meet with the other Kages—"

"—my arm's been hurting like hell and I can't even see my own doctor—"

"This summit is a significant event, Hokage-sama." Takemaru overrode, drawing on his most imperious voice. "So is the welcome banquet tonight."

"Is she going to be there?" Naruto suddenly asked.

Takemaru gave him a long, searching look. "If you mean Hinata-sama, yes, she is waiting for you at her palace to be taken into the Hall."

"I know but where's Ayame going to be?"

"She will not be seated with you, if that is what you are asking."

"It's not." Naruto said stiffly. "I just….I was curious that's all. I didn't want her to miss out on the food." He turned away from Takemaru's pearlescent, judging gaze. "I'm ready. Let's go."

The banquet itself was a grand affair and took place in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The Pavilion staff had outdone themselves in preparing it. The pale rose marble floor was gleaming and the three enormous chandeliers that graced the hall looked like giant, golden chrysanthemums floating in the ceiling. Crimson and white banners with the Konoha crest hung from the rafters.

Long tables had been placed out with glittering sets of gold flatware and exquisite floral arrangements. Beyond the dining area was a large, clear space for dancing and a series of twenty-foot high bay windows that looked out to the Pavilion gardens. Another separate table on a dais was reserved for the Kages and a select few of the senior council members. The Hyuuga clan's coat of arms was proudly displayed above the throne-like chairs for the Hokage and his betrothed.

Seated at the head with Hinata, Naruto raised a glass in the direction of the four Kages who were placed at the same table.

"To another year of peace!"

"Another year of peace!" Everyone echoed as they drained their cups.

Lively chatter instantly broke out amongst the various guests in the Hall of Supreme Harmony as they sat down to an excellent feast. Servers dressed in nondescript black robes sprang forward to offer tempting appetisers while pageboys went to each chair, handing out steamed hand towels. An impressive-looking cluster of musicians near the dance floor started off with a pleasing serenade as everyone else ate.

Ayame herself was seated amongst the Wind delegation and markedly looked out of place with her austere clothes. Compared to the individuals around her who were dressed in their finest, she looked rather shabby, an observation that had not gone unnoticed by some people.

"What a funny costume." A Water council member remarked upon seeing Ayame. "Is that what Konoha's doctors wear…?

"...really must be unaware of her surroundings, didn't even bother to dress up at all!"

"Honestly, why is she even here? She's not that important…."

"I don't believe it!" Ten-Ten's eyes popped out of her skull when they caught sight of Ayame. "You're telling me _that girl_ is Naruto's doctor?!"

"YES!" Kiba uproariously agreed, immediately gratified by Ten-Ten's reaction. He leaned back in his chair as he surveyed his entire table with an air of righteousness. Ino, Choji, and Shino were seated with him whilst Shikamaru had been relegated to Temari's table with the rest of the Kazekage's entourage. "You see the resemblance too, right?!"

Ino glared at him. "Shut up, Kiba."

" _Wow,_ is Naruto blind?" Ten-Ten goggled at Ayame. "She looks just like Sakura."

"Exactly!" Kiba slapped his hand on the table, causing the wineglasses to shiver. "I reckon it's the reason she was hired in the first place."

"Then Naruto is a scumbag." Ino said viciously. "He's engaged to Hinata, for God's sake. What is he playing at?"

"What's up with you anyway?" Kiba turned to her, annoyed. "Aren't you kinda happy to meet somebody who looks like your best friend? I thought you'd find it cool."

"Why aren't you more upset about this?" Ino fired back, refusing to answer his question. "Hinata is your teammate."

"Well it's not like I was thrilled with her engagement to Naruto either," said Kiba.

The entire table stared at him, flabbergasted.

"What?" Kiba returned their shocked gazes with defiance. "Shino agrees with me too! Honestly, we reckon she was bullied into this whole wedding thing by her great-uncle. Besides, do you guys really think that Naruto's the right guy for her?"

"I cannot believe you!" Ten-Ten looked scandalised. "How could you say something like that about Hinata and Naruto?" She looked to Ino for backup but even Ino was too stunned to speak.

"I always thought Naruto went for her because he needed the money." Choji plaintively opined. "Remember how broke the village was when Naruto got elected? Then Hanzei came in and was all like 'I'll help you out since you're with my relative' then we got that surplus and the Pavilion was rebuilt."

"Choji." Ino finally regained her voice and shot him a dangerous look. "Stop. Talking."

"Being engaged to a Hyuga comes with a few perks." Kiba nodded in acknowledgement. "But that's not why Naruto and Hinata got together. I mean, they're an okay couple but their personalities don't match up, you know?

"Hinata's a thinker and she's quiet. Real quiet. There's nothing wrong with that but you never know what she's thinking because she's so calm all the time. Naruto's a doer and he's….I dunno, he's just a lot more emotional than she is. You always know what kind of a mood he's in. He's gotten frustrated by her a couple times because he thinks she's being passive when she's not."

"Hinata's grown a lot since our Academy days!" Ten-Ten gave him a reproachful look. "She can be passionate too."

"With all due respect," Shino spoke at last, drawing everyone's attention to his half-hidden face, "Kiba and I have known Hinata longer than you. We are also her closest friends. What Kiba says is accurate. We were concerned Naruto and Hinata had clashing personalities. When they started dating, we were worried because truthfully, we did not believe Naruto had truly let go of Sakura."

There was an uncomfortable silence following this statement.

"I still don't believe that Naruto has been able to get over his loss. Even now." Shino's unseen eyes seem to glare at them all. "Which is why Kiba and I have misgivings about Hinata's engagement. But she tells us that she is happy and we don't have much of a choice but to support her decision regardless of how we feel."

As the remainder of the Konoha Nine absorbed these words, Ayame was engrossed in a conversation with one of the Wind's senior council member, a lady named Aiko.

"How has the refugee situation been for your country?" Ayame asked.

"Manageable for the time being." Aiko answered as she helped herself to some roast chicken. "Of course, we haven't received as many refugees compared to the Earth and Fire nations. They mostly pass through lands, few stay. Our weather and geography are too harsh for them."

"I understand." Ayame nodded. "I've met with many of the refugees myself, most of them come from the Water nation and are farmers. I suppose they are not used to the desert."

"Yes, we have heard of your clinic." Aiko knowingly peered at Ayame. "The Kazekage mentioned it at our council meetings. He told us that the Hokage speaks most highly of you and is appreciative of your efforts."

Ayame stared at her in disbelief. "Really?"

"Oh yes." Aiko started cutting into her meat. "In fact, the Kazekage has set up a similar clinic in Sunagakure for our current refugee population. Some of our local healers volunteer there now in rotations."

Ayame glanced at the head table where Naruto was sitting and animatedly conversing with a slender man dressed in burgundy robes with hair the red of brick washed by rain. His eyes were rimmed in black, giving an unusual contrast to the irises which were an opaque turquoise. A gold pendant wrought in the crest of Wind hung around his neck from a long, fine chain. Immediately, she identified him as Gaara, the Kazekage.

"Naruto, this is too much." Gaara gazed at the dazzling spread of food before him. He had not even touched his plate. "I thought we were just going to meet in your office. You didn't have to do all this."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "It's standard protocol, you know that."

"Yes but it's a startling difference compared to your predecessor." Gaara glanced around the table. "Where is Kakashi-sama? I was hoping to talk to him."

"He's been abroad." Naruto looked wistful. "Since he retired, he's been travelling a lot. He says he's doing it for 'research' for his writing. The last time I got a letter from him, he said he was up north."

Gaara's brow raised in surprise. "Writing what?"

Naruto gave a sly grin. "Porn, pretty much. He's probably sampling all the villages around the world as we speak."

"He never struck me as that kind of guy." Gaara seemed a tad embarrassed. "If I did something like that, my council would have flogged the living daylights out of me."

"You're the _Kazekage_." Naruto snorted. "I'd like to see them try."

"The daimyo in my village are powerful." Gaara admitted. "They've been watchful of me since I was chosen but they've relaxed a lot over the years. I think it's because they trust me now."

"It's because you're not a Jinchuriki anymore." Naruto commented.

There was a fleeting expression of sympathy that crossed over Gaara's face. "Your village has come a long way, hasn't it? You got everything you wanted. They're proud to have you as their Hokage. I mean look at how far you and Konoha have come." He eyed his surroundings in admiration and polite appreciativeness. "I knew your Pavilion had been rebuilt but I didn't realise it was to this scale. It's stunning. You must be happy with the design."

"Actually, Hanzei financed the rebuilding, not me."

There was a hint of irritation in Naruto's voice that Gaara picked up on. Quietly, he looked to Naruto's right where Hinata was sitting. She was talking with Mei, the striking Mizukage, who was looking obscenely attractive in tight-fitting royal blue and white robes.

"Hanzei is Hinata's great-uncle, yes?"

"Yeah." Naruto nodded, looking none too pleased.

"Have you and Hinata finally decided on a wedding date?"

"No." Naruto replied. Somehow it was easier to be honest with Gaara than his friends in Konoha. He knew the Kazekage understood his feelings on the subject better than most.

"I hope you settle on something soon. My sister is very keen on marrying herself and doesn't want to compete with your bride." Gaara gently teased.

" _What?_ " Naruto gaped at him. "Shikamaru _proposed_?! Since when?"

"Not yet." Gaara revealed. "He met with me and Kankuro in private last month to ask for our blessing. I agreed. My brother was a tougher sell but he came around in the end. Shikamaru is planning to ask Temari sometime this summer."

"That's great!" Naruto was cheered by the news.

"How is your arm? Is it better?" Gaara's eyes went to the metal appendage.

"Loads better, yeah." Naruto grinned. "My healer's been great."

"Is that her?" Gaara's attention shifted to a young woman in grey who was sitting with his entourage from Sunagakure. Her head was turned downward and the veil made it difficult to see her profile but when she finally raised her face to the light at last, he was thunderstruck. He blinked, unsure if he was seeing a mirage.

"Her name is Ayame." He heard Naruto say. "She's a temple maiden."

"Ayame?" Gaara gazed after the girl. _She looks so much like…._ he paused, shaking his head ever so slightly. _No, Sakura is dead. I was at her burial. I saw her being put to ground. It can't be._

"...been helping me with unlocking chakras."

Gaara blinked, suddenly brought back to the present. "What?"

"I said Ayame's been helping me unlock the chakras for better control." Naruto repeated.

"It's remarkable."

"Huh?"

"This girl." Gaara couldn't take his eyes away from her. "Doesn't she remind you of anyone?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Naruto." Gaara turned to him and lowered his voice. "Your healer looks so much like Sakura. The resemblance is extraordinary."

Naruto was thoroughly taken aback. Confused and startled, he looked to Ayame. She was wearing her usual wimple, a starched white cloth that was wrapped around her entire head and encircled her neck like bandages. Her veil was set rigidly in place with the iron circlet; the fabric mimicking the movement of hair whenever it creased as she turned her head. Her grey robes were too severe in their simplicity to be deemed attractive and whilst he could admit that she had somewhat of a pretty face, all he saw was a novice and nothing more. There was no trace of that bewitchingly lovely girl he had once loved in this woman.

When Ayame caught his eye, she smiled and gave a friendly wave.

"Gaara, I'm not really following you," said Naruto, unable to return a greeting to Ayame. "She's not….she doesn't look anything like Sakura." But even as he said so, a deeply troubling thought intruded on his mind.

"You can't be serious." Gaara was stunned that Naruto couldn't see it. "Look at her face! I almost thought she _was_ Sakura for a moment."

"They aren't alike." Naruto said a little more sharply than he intended.

Gaara gave him a long, searching look. He edged forward from his seat to see Hinata who was still talking with Mei. The Hyuuga heiress looked particularly beautiful tonight in resplendent lilac robes cut from the finest silk and edged with seed pearls. Her hair had been done up in a traditional style, held together by silver filigree combs and dangling diamond pins. Her great-uncle Hanzei was sitting only a few chairs away, carrying on a polite conversation with an Earth councilman. Every once in a while, the Hyuuga elder's grey eyes would flicker over to Naruto and Hinata, regarding them with a subtle expression of triumph.

Leaning back, Gaara returned his gaze to Ayame, the plainly dressed novice. It was not the lack of jewels or finery that made her striking to look at, he realised. Rather, it was the way she carried herself. In spite of her humble garb, she possessed the kind of grace and strength suited to a queen rather than a nun. There was an air of purposeness about her as she spoke and gestured with her hands to make a point.

 _Sakura was like that,_ Gaara mused to himself, remembering her from many years ago when she and Naruto had first visited Sunagakure.

How strange that Naruto couldn't see the obvious comparison. Yet there was the problem: was it that he couldn't? Or wouldn't?

A sweeping note of a violin playing caught Gaara's attention and struck him with inspiration. Deciding right on the spot to test out his hypothesis, he stood up from his chair and withdrew from the table. "I'll be back."

"Where're you going?" Naruto asked.

"Dancing."

" _What?_ "

Giving a courteous nod as people respectfully bowed before him and parted aside to make way, Gaara walked up to the banquet table where most of the Wind delegation had been seated.

"Kazekage-sama." Councilwoman Aiko lowered her head.

"I am sorry for interrupting your dinner but I was wondering if I could borrow your companion for a moment." Gaara's eyes went over to Ayame. Now that he was closer, the healer's likeness to Sakura struck him even more powerfully. Forcing himself to maintain a neutral facade, he smiled and offered his arm. "My lady?"

Perplexed at the sudden request, but having no choice as it would've been considered the height of rudeness to refuse a Kage, Ayame took it and rose from the table.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ayame-san." Gaara said as they walked away from the delegation. Briefly, he glanced at the head table to see Naruto watching him with narrowed eyes. "I was just talking to the Hokage and he was telling me all about you so I wanted to introduce myself."

Ayame's brows rose in scepticism. "Is that right?"

"You seem surprised."

"Well, I don't know why you two would discuss me." She said truthfully. "I imagined you would have more important matters to talk about."

"I have no doubt we will address those 'matters' at the summit." Gaara said. "But before that, I wanted to ask you a few questions."

"About?"

"Do you know how to dance?"

Ayame stared at him, confused. "Umm….no….I don't." She hesitatingly answered, wondering what had brought this on. Was this some prank Naruto was pulling on her? Was Gaara in on it? She regarded him carefully. "Why do you really wish to speak to me, Kazekage?"

"All in good time." He answered, steering her to the edge of the dance floor. The music was quickening in pace. "But first, I'd like to dance with you. In my country, we're known for our deserts but it's really our dances and music that are the best things about it. "

 _This is so weird….!_ Ayame gazed at Gaara in disbelief.

"But I don't….I don't know how to do….this." She nervously looked around the Hall for an escape. _Any_ excuse, really, to get away from the Kazekage.

"It's easy, I'll show you."

Instantly, he let go of her arm so that he could grasp her hand.

Ignoring her protests, Gaara pulled Ayame to the centre. Looking around, he gestured to other couples already at the dance floor to join them and soon enough, they had a small crowd. The violins sped up in tempo as they joined hands and began dancing in a wide circle. People started to cheer and clap their hands rhythmically to the music.

Then to Ayame's surprise, everyone split off into their partners, spinning all around her in whirlwinds of coloured silk.

"Relax." She heard Gaara's voice near her ear.

Bewildered, she felt him take her arm then holding it aloft as he gently twisted her around so her grey robes swirled at her feet. Snaking his forearm around her waist, he pulled her so close that their faces were only a handbreadth away from each other.

Feeling a hot flush spread across her cheeks, Ayame averted her eyes from Gaara's intent gaze. She tried to follow his lead and memorise the dance pattern, maddeningly wondering why she had agreed to the stupid thing in the first place. Twice, she stumbled, trying to avoid stepping on his feet.

"Here, let me." Gaara briefly stepped away for a moment as a rush of golden sand encircled around them.

Astonished, Ayame watched as the grainy particles merrily went around and around her feet then slid between the floor and the soles of her shoes. To her amazement, she looked down to see her legs moving gracefully in perfect time with Gaara's. The sand was helping her dance.

"I don't believe it!" She laughed aloud when she felt herself circle Gaara in one fluid, effortless motion. The sound of flutes were whistling high in her ears."How are you doing that?"

Gaara grinned, tethering her by his hand.

They broke apart again, swept up in the arms of other dancers who waltzed them over to the edge then to the centre again. When the crescendo struck, the men hoisted the ladies up by their waists and spun them around, sending a flurry of skirts in the air.

Ayame reveled in the rush of wind as she glided across the floor. Her veil flapped by her ears, her feet were going in wide arcs, her arms were flying. The best part was, she didn't care.

Laughing and smiling, she let herself be carried away by the music and Gaara's sand, lost in the sweeping chords of strings and drums. Round and round she went until she practically flew back into Gaara's awaiting arms who greeted her with a ready smile.

At the final resounding note, thunderous applause erupted in the hall followed by ear-splittingly high whistles. The Kazekage's entourage, in particular, were thrilled and loudly cheered their kage as he waved to the crowd, still grasping his dancing partner to him by the hand.

Blushing furiously, Ayame and the other ladies on the dance floor swept into a low curtsy before the applauding spectators. When she raised her head, she immediately searched the head table for Naruto and was about to wave at him when she stopped at the expression on his face.

Naruto was glowering at her, looking as if he had cracked his tooth on a stone.

Ayame blinked, thoroughly taken aback. Bewildered, she glanced at Gaara, who was returning Naruto's glare with a grim, knowing smile.

Suddenly Naruto stood up from his chair and without another word to anyone—not even Hinata—he angrily strode away from the head table and exited the hall.

A low hum of concerned murmurs reverberated throughout the reception area. Looking worried, Hinata rose from her own seat and went after Naruto. Her diamond pins winked and flashed in the light as she walked over to the doors. Hanzei coldly stared at the empty thrones while the other kages were bemused at their host's sudden absence.

Ayame gazed after where Naruto had gone. Perhaps he was feeling sick? Is that why he had left so quickly? She started to walk away when she felt Gaara hold her fast.

"I doubt Naruto wishes to see you at the moment." He said, perplexing her even more.

"Why? I'm his doctor." She wrenched her arm away from his grasp.

"No." He turned to fully face her. "I don't believe you are just that."

There was something awfully familiar with his tone. She recognised it as the same one that Sai had when he warned a few weeks ago. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"...what kind of game are you playing?" Ayame asked in a low voice. The excitement from earlier was rapidly evaporating away leaving her with dread and distrust.

"It wasn't a game." Gaara was pleased to see that she was quick on the uptake. "It was an experiment. I wanted to see what would happen."

"And what kind of result were you hoping for?"

Gaara regarded her with his prismatic eyes. "You've been in Konoha for a couple months now. Has anyone ever told you that you resemble Haruno Sakura?"

Ayame was startled. "This is the first I'm hearing of it."

"I'm surprised." Gaara candidly replied. "My envoys tell me you've been featuring in the village gossip since your arrival. Most people seem to see the likeness." He paused. "I heard that was the primary reason Naruto hired you but after speaking with him, I don't think that's quite correct. Still, it's a compelling argument."

"The Hokage and I have a conditional agreement for my stay here." Ayame said in a stiff voice. "There is nothing else to it."

"Ten thousand ryuu for you to remain at your post." Gaara noted much to Ayame's surprise. "You see, Naruto and I often write to each other. I've known about you for some time. But he never mentioned in his letters that you look extraordinarily like Sakura."

"I doubt I take after that girl." Ayame dismissed with an empathetic shake of her head.

"No one else has mentioned the resemblance to you?" Gaara asked curiously.

She opened her mouth to deny it when her mind flashed back to the reactions she got in the marketplace from Ino, Kiba, and Shikamaru. Then to Hinata. The whispers in the street she attributed to her striking outfit. The stares she had received at the hospital. Sai's warning started to ring in her ears like an alarm bell whilst Kyuubi's voice echoed from the shadows of her mind. Lost. Nameless. Cursed.

"Naruto talks about you. A lot." Gaara watched her closely.

Ayame shrugged, feigning indifference.

"As kages, you can imagine the scope of what we discuss." Gaara continued. "But Naruto and I are also friends. He's been not very transparent on a certain subject though, at least not with me, lately. It could be that Hanzei has been reading his letters, which would not be surprising, or that he is reluctant to write about it. One thing is clear: he isn't happy. He hasn't been for a long time."

A look of pity now crossed his face.

"I think you make him forget all that."

They stood there, oblivious to their surroundings as the dancers retreated from the floor to rejoin their tables and the kages talking to each other in undertones. For a few moments, the only sounds were clinking glasses, silverware being put down, and whispered conversations drifting into the hall.

At long last, Ayame turned away and when she spoke, her voice was hardened with obstinate denial. "You don't know what you're talking about."

She left.

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The following morning, the summit started off slow with a pace of cold honey being poured out of a jar.

After the formalities had been done away with, the kages were ushered into a meeting room within the Hokage's offices. Once the screen doors were shut and the guards were posted outside to ensure privacy, they went down to business.

"OK." Naruto announced, looking around the round table where the other four sat in magnificent chairs. "I'm here to discuss—"

"We know." Darui, the Raikage, lazily interrupted. "The refugees."

"There's too many of them." Kurotsuchi started off at once. "My country is overrun. We've already taken in several thousand but there are still so many at the border." She glanced at Mei with ill-disguised frustration. "They're all from the Water lands."

"I've tried to secure our borders." Mei answered in a placating tone. "But as you know, my country's resources are spread very thin. Our treasury is at a deficit. We don't have the money to hire more soldiers and we lost half of our men in the war."

"Which started in _your_ village." The Tsuchikage accused.

"My predecessor's reign was a travesty, I am sure we can all agree to that." Mei answered smoothly. "But I am the Mizukage now. Our nation will not be misled in that direction ever again. You also forget that the war was caused by a man affiliated with Konoha." Her gaze shifted to Naruto.

"Easy, easy." Darui held up his hand in a conciliatory gesture before Naruto could say anything back. "We all fought in that battle. We all joined as allies and we won as a team. What's done is done, that's in the past, Mei."

"Well the refugee crisis is happening right _now_." The Tsuchikage slammed her fist on the table's surface. "My village's food stocks are running low already! My villagers and the refugees have already started fighting over who can farm what. Our own citizens can't get jobs because there's so many refugees willing to work for less and more hours! These refugees won't even adopt or respect any of our traditions! We aren't equipped to take on half of the world into our lands!"

"You and the Fire nation are the wealthiest out of the five of us." A poisonous note of condescension creeped into Mei's voice. "Your own lands are also the largest and the most diverse. Can you really blame my people for seeking a better life for themselves within your country?"

Kurotsuchi narrowed her eyes. "Refusing to assimilate whilst taking away our farm lands for their own does not promote harmony within the Earth lands. They are doing _nothing_ but causing instability."

"My village is willing to take in a few more refugees." Gaara spoke up. "We are prepared to house and feed at least five thousand. This is the upper limit that my council has agreed on."

"Five thousand?" Kurotsuchi almost laughed. "We've taken in _double_ that amount. I can assure you that there are more than that at our borders trying to get in. Besides, they don't want to live in the Wind lands. They all want to come into my country or Naruto's because we have better climates and the best fields. These refugees are mostly farmers. What can the desert offer them?"

"My daimyo have also shared those concerns with me." Gaara acknowledged. "Which is why we will be teaching them how to grow dates or work with our silk manufacturers. We think it is one of the easiest trades they can learn at a quick pace and make an earning for themselves."

"Are they willing to accept that though?" The Raikage turned to him. "We tried to provide for some of the refugees that crossed into our lands but they didn't want to stay. What the Tsuchikage says is accurate, they seem to prefer going to the Earth or Fire lands."

"Well what I want to know is what Konoha is doing about this and if Kirigakure has a plan to fix themselves up so their people stop leaving." Kurotsuchi glared at Naruto and Mei. "If you have anything to say, I'm listening."

All heads turned to Naruto.

"Umm, that's what I wanted to talk about with everyone." He began rather clumsily. "Konoha's seen a lot of refugees crossing our borders too and—"

"—how many?" Mei cut in.

"Over eight thousand in the last two years since I've been elected." Naruto cautiously estimated. "We have about two thousand at the Annex but—"

"How is that possible? I thought you said you had over eight thousand crossing into your lands!" Kurotsuchi snapped.

"The daimyo of Konoha have been kicking them out en masse, that's why." Darui leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

Immediately, Kurotsuchi swiveled around to face Naruto. Her dark eyes were blazing in anger. "You've got some nerve calling this summit, looking for a solution when your own country hasn't even lifted a finger to solve this mess."

"Tsuchikage." Gaara warned.

"I can answer her without your help." Naruto snapped at him, annoyed at what he saw as an unnecessary interference. He turned to Kurotsuchi. "I never gave out those orders for deportations."

"Oh, really?" Kurotsuchi commented with a mocking air. "Hmm...I wonder how that's possible, considering you're the Hokage and all. Or are you admitting that you actually have no say in how your village is run?"

"My council voted to keep the refugees out. Konoha was running on a deficit back then, we didn't have the food or money to help them." Naruto furiously replied.

"And yet," Kurotsuchi's lip curled in derision. "You still had time and resources to build a new Pavilion all for yourself and your betrothed."

Incensed, Naruto leapt out of his seat.

Immediately, Gaara was at his side and put out an arm to restrain him from going any further. "Calm down."

"Gaara— _get out of the way!_ " Naruto pushed him aside. He glared at Kurotsuchi. "My village was destroyed in the war too. We had to rebuild but I had nothing to do with the Pavilion being reconstructed. Hanzei did that."

"Hanzei. Hanzei. Hanzei." Kurotsuchi repeated with measured hostility. "It always comes back to Hanzei. Tell me, who is the real Hokage in the Fire nation? You? Or him?"

It took every ounce of Naruto's willpower to not hurl insults at the Tsuchikage.

"The lady's got a point." Darui said as he lounged in his chair. "Even if we came up with a solution together, what if your daimyo don't go through with it, Naruto? Your council's voted against you loads of times. What makes you believe this will be any different?"

"If you felt that way, why did you even bother coming out here? Why did you respond to my summons?" Naruto demanded.

Darui shrugged. "I wanted to see for myself if my ambassador's observations were correct and what do you know, he was right. Hanzei's got you wrapped around his sticky little fingers."

"He's just a councilman." Naruto heatedly responded.

"Is that so?" Darui raised a brow. "Because last time I checked, he's Hinata's great-uncle and she's your betrothed. So wouldn't that make him your relative?"

"We're here to talk about the refugees, not about Hinata or her family." Naruto raised his voice.

"We have to." Darui's yellow eyes flickered over to him. "Your future wife's clan is all over the place. They've snapped up half of the seats in your council and were appointed as heads over almost all of your administrative departments. It would seem that everything that goes on in Konoha is done with the Hyuuga clan's approval, not yours. So if we make any major decisions, we'll have to involve them, won't we?"

"I am the leader of this country." Naruto ground out.

"Yes, you are." Darui acknowledged, plucking at the long white sleeves of his kage robes. "But your power comes with limits. Frankly, the Hyuuga clan has a lot of leverage against you and you can't do anything without their say-so. With that in mind, let's come to a deal."

He gazed levelly at Naruto.

"My village is ready to assist you and the Earth country with the refugees. We'll allow them to come into our lands. We'll house and feed them until we can figure out a way to repatriate them. On one condition—give us Uchiha Sasuke."

The atmosphere in the room changed rapidly. Where seconds before it had been heated and tense, a cold silence descended upon everyone. A frisson had gone around the table at the mention of Sasuke's name.

"What?" Naruto's voice was harsh. His eyes had turned into an icy blue as they looked on the Raikage sitting across from him.

"You heard me." Darui replied calmly. "I want Uchiha Sasuke. If you want Lightning to cooperate with Fire on this crisis, we want Sasuke as our prisoner. I know for a fact that Hanzei would be supportive of this. The Uchiha and Hyuuga have always been uneasy of each other."

" _Are you out of your mind?_ " Naruto was furious.

"Are you out of _yours_?" Kurotsuchi incredulously asked. "Did you honestly think any of us were okay with you or Kakashi giving free rein to Sasuke in Konoha all these years? He prolonged the war! He tried to kill you and your friends! He sided against you long before he joined you as an ally."

"Sasuke's my friend." Naruto hotly defended.

"No, he isn't." Darui's gaze hardened. "He's a threat. He always has been, always will be. He's dangerous, Naruto."

"Sasuke's different now." Naruto's hands clenched into fists. "He's not who you think he is anymore. You don't know what he's been through—"

"I do." Darui interrupted. "And I'm sorry that he had such a bad start in life, honestly. But it doesn't change the fact that he has a tendency to go rogue and he's secretive. You can't control him and it makes my council—as well as everyone else—extremely uncomfortable that Sasuke can roam around to do what he likes without someone keeping a tight leash on him."

"You make him sound like some kind of animal." It was difficult for Naruto to hold back his outrage. "The way you talk about him….it's how people used to talk about me."

"Sasuke has committed severe crimes against my nation including yours—and he's never been punished for it. What kind of a message does that send to the other ninja out there who might try to copy Akatsuki someday?"

"He's not a terrorist!" Naruto shouted.

"You are blinded by your friendship for him, can't you see that? It's preventing you from thinking clearly and doing what's best for your country."

"I am _not_ giving Sasuke over to you." Naruto angrily declared.

"Then we have no deal." Darui answered back. "My council and I are not going to settle for anything less than his imprisonment in exchange for our financial assistance."

"Thank you, Raikage." Gaara finally interjected as Naruto opened his mouth to let out a tirade.

With cool briskness, Gaara turned to Kurotsuchi. "Round up all the refugees you've got at your borders and send them to Sunagakure. We can help them there, at least for now. Darui, perhaps we can discuss the terms of your deal on another day when everyone's had some time to think?" He paused as he turned to the Mizukage. "My lady, I understand your financial straits but it isn't an adequate excuse for your citizens to illegally cross into other countries. In order for your people to stay, they need to be able to make a living and a relatively secure future in the Water lands."

"Please, enlighten me, Kazekage." Mei coldly suggested.

"I'll agree to stop subsidising Wind exports to your country." Gaara responded. "That way, it'll encourage your citizens to buy locally-produced goods than cheaper, imported ones. It'll keep your native farmers afloat." He glanced at Kurotsuchi, Darui, and Naruto. "I am sure the other kages will follow suit? It may help stabilise the Water nation's economy in the short-run."

"My nation exports everywhere in the world." Kurotsuchi looked troubled. "We'll lose money…."

"No, the other three can subsidise Earth exports for the time being." Gaara answered. "And if Naruto's council doesn't agree, you still have Wind and Lightning."

The Tsuchikage however did not seem appeased but after a while, she gave a grudging nod to the short-term plan. "As long as it doesn't last more than a year." She decided at length. "And if Mei promises to seal her borders."

"You have my word." The Mizukage promised.

"Fine by me." Darui assented. "But my deal is still on the table, provided that Naruto and the Konoha daimyo agree to my terms."

"Very well." Gaara nodded, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder to stop him from replying. "I think the Hokage and I would like to discuss it together. May I step out with him for a moment?"

"Go right ahead." Darui gestured to the doors.

Naruto threw Gaara a dark look. Silently, grudgingly, he followed Gaara out to a private antechamber and no soon had the screens closed behind them, he turned on the Kazekage with unrestrained fury.

"If you think for one second that I'm going to hand Sasuke on a platter to the Raikage—" he began.

"You're not acting rationally." Gaara cut across him in a firm voice.

"NOTHING about what Darui said was rational!"

"You're not listening, Naruto. Darui had every right to ask that request of you."

Naruto stared after him in disbelief. "You _agree_ with Lightning?"

Gaara moved his head slightly as if annoyed. "I will always have your back. You know that." He replied, choosing his words with care. "I meant what I said at the battlefield. But you must understand that not everyone thinks about Sasuke the same way that you do. He is seen as a liability and his actions during the war haven't been forgotten by the other kages."

"I….I know…." Naruto averted his eyes from him in shame.

"I will support your decision to maintain Sasuke's status as a free man. However, I want you to know that my council and many others are against this idea. If we are to keep Sasuke safe, you have to come up with a plan on ensuring that he won't go rogue again."

"That's what Kakashi said too." Naruto admitted, thinking back to a conversation he had with the Sixth years before. "He knew how to keep Sasuke in check and the other kages seemed to be okay with that. I just don't understand why they're so against me now that I'm the Hokage."

"It's because they know you are friends with him."

"Kakashi was Sasuke's teacher." Naruto countered.

"That isn't the same relationship. You're far more protective of Sasuke than the Sixth was." Gaara paused. "Your emotions are clouding your ability to see things objectively."

"Don't talk like you know more than me."

"I do know more than you." Gaara's eyes gleamed with steely determination. "You forget that I've been a kage longer than you have. I know my limits and triggers. I know when to back away if I'm hard-pressed, something that you aren't very good at. I can tell you're upset."

"I am _not_ upset—!"

"Yes you are." Gaara held his intent gaze. "You're angry with me because of Ayame."

"No I'm not!" Naruto denied flat-out. "Although I have to say, I don't know where that dancing bullshit came from and why you asked my doctor of all people to be your partner."

"Naruto, in addition to the refugee crisis, you have to resolve your ties with the Hyuuga clan." Gaara's voice slipped into a stern warning. "It's not right for one family to hold this many positions and power within your government. Furthermore, you need to reassess your engagement with Hinata and your recent attentions toward Ayame. If you don't, your reputation and credibility could be ruined."

"I haven't been paying attention to Ayame like that!" Naruto looked agitated now. "What are you saying? I haven't—I didn't—she's never said or done _anything…._ "

"She doesn't have to. It's clear from your face. You want her. You can hide it from your friends and your council but you can't hide it from me. I know you better than that."

Gaara did. He did know better.

Naruto opened his mouth but no words came out.

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When the kages and their respective parties departed Konoha, a listlessness descended upon the entire village.

All the excitement that accompanied the kages' arrivals had left with them as they passed through the village gates. Besides a great deal of cleaning up, there was no longer something to look forward to.

Fortunately, this was not the case for Ayame, as she was now able to resume her chakra sessions with Naruto. To her surprise, she had discovered that she missed the Seventh's company. She was perplexed to find herself thinking about his laughter in quiet moments. She even thought of taking him to dinner at Ichiraku and spent more time pondering over that than her treatment plan for the night.

Remembering how Naruto seemed to like being outside, Ayame had arranged for the garden pagoda to be readied with candles and incense. This time, she requested the kitchen to prepare a few of his favourite snacks so that they could share them together after they unlocked a chakra.

When night fell, she waited there, calmly sitting in the circle of candles as she waited for him to arrive. Tonight seemed promising. Even though it was the height of summer, the night was pleasantly cool and dry. The lotuses were in full bloom and the pond was tranquil.

She was watching a pair of koi languidly skimming the water's surface when she heard Naruto's footsteps approach.

"It's good to see you." Ayame smiled as she looked up to see him. "I know you've been busy. I thought the garden would be more relaxing." She gestured to the beautiful scenery behind her.

"It's fine." Naruto did not return her genial greeting. He plopped down to his seat within the circle, his jaw set tight. "So? Let's get started."

Ayame paused. She looked at Naruto more closely and as she did, a slight crease appeared between her brows. "What's happened to you?"

"Nothing."

"You look upset."

"I'm not upset."

"Yes, you are." Ayame countered. "I can sense it, your chakras are all coiled up as if you're about to fight me."

"Just get on with the session!" The coldness in his voice struck her as unnatural. Immediately, she raised her hand in a conciliatory gesture.

"I've told you," she said patiently, "you have to be calm for the chakras to be unlocked. You need to empty yourself of emotion."

"I'm calm!" Naruto said loudly, not convincing anyone, especially Ayame. She stared at him as though trying to gauge what was going on inside his mind then finally took a guess. "You've been acting like this since the banquet. What happened? Was it something I did?"

"More like _someone._ " His sarcasm was all too bitter to be taken as a joke and at that, Ayame lost her patience.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Why," Naruto dared to ask, "did you dance with the Kazekage?"

Ayame gazed after him in disbelief. She could not _believe_ the Seventh was upset over something so trivial, so pointless, and entirely irrelevant to the more dire circumstances within his own country. She did not even want to lower herself to answer.

"I asked you a question." Naruto demanded. "Why did you dance with the Kazekage?"

"Because he asked me to." Ayame answered. "Which should be of no concern to you anyway. It doesn't matter."

 _"It matters to me!_ " The acridity of his voice seemed to poison the very air around them. "I saw you. You held onto him...and it looked like you were showing a lot more of yourself with him."

"What are you implying?" Ayame asked in dangerous voice.

"You're a temple maiden, aren't you?" Naruto's eyes were a frosty blue. "You're supposed to be virtuous when you're anything but."

Immediately, Ayame leapt up to her feet, knocking away a few candles and snuffing them out in the process. "Is that how you really see me? _How dare you._ How dare you speak to me like this." She looked at him with fury. "I am not your servant. I am not bound to your laws or customs, least of all you."

"Healers aren't supposed to dance or flirt with kages, if memory serves me right." Naruto snapped.

"I wasn't 'flirting' with the Kazekage and like I told you, he was the one who asked me."

"You should have refused."

"Well maybe I didn't want to." Ayame bit back out of spite.

They glared at each other from either side of the pagoda, each one reflecting mutual dislike and anger.

"Fine, I see how it is." Naruto finally spoke. His gaze was as unyielding and cold as iron. "Don't bother coming to my quarters or even staying in Konoha. In fact, you have my blessing to join the Kazekage's entourage if you want. I'm sure he'd be grateful to have you."

He turned to go and left her standing in the middle of a destroyed circle of melted wax and curling smoke.


	7. Eclipsed

For a week, Naruto and Ayame avoided each other.

To Takemaru's astonishment, Naruto ordered him to cancel all the healing sessions until further notice and specifically gave instructions that Ayame was not to go to his rooms anymore.

Ayame responded in kind by throwing herself into a viciously aggressive work schedule at the Annex clinic and returned to the Pavilion at extremely late hours, determined to not run the risk of running into the Hokage. She knew she had offended him but did not know why.

He was angry, there was no doubt about that, but not for the reason she thought. He was furious with Gaara, at how the summit went, at Hanzei, and everything else in between. But the real blame lied within himself and he knew it. It burned and throbbed in his chest as he sat his desk, as he ambled past the gardens, as he listened to the ANBU first-rank captains give him their reports.

 _You really fucked up this time,_ Naruto ruefully admonished himself. He grimaced when he remembered the look of hurt on Ayame's face. The last time they had an argument, he had apologised and they had come to an accord. But saying sorry seemed like a paltry way to express his remorse and frankly, he didn't think it was enough for this.

If she hated him, she had every right to.

Now that Naruto no longer had his evenings occupied, under Hanzei's express wishes, he was to have dinner with Hinata every night. For seven consecutive days, she came to Naruto's palace and dined with him. Pronouncing himself delighted with this change, Hanzei had openly remarked he was hopeful that the couple would set a real wedding date at long last.

On the seventh night, Hinata broached the topic with Naruto over dinner.

"I was thinking we could get married this fall." Hinata suggested as she sat across from Naruto at a sumptuously laid out table. Tonight, she was looking very pretty in a lavish kimono dyed in a rich shade of cerulean. Her dark violet hair had been swept up in a bun and dotted with porcelain hydrangea blossoms that cascaded down in a pretty waterfall of pale blue petals.

"Yeah that sounds good." Naruto politely nodded as he took a sip of wine.

"Konoha's trees are very beautiful in the autumn. I thought it would be perfect for us." Hinata gave an encouraging smile. "I was thinking some time in October? Even on your birthday? It falls on a weekend this year."

"It does?"

"Yes, then we could have a joint celebration. You'll turn twenty-six and we'll be married."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

Hinata suppressed a sigh. She had expected this. Tapping into her reserve of patience, she decided to keep her gaze at her own plate. She knew Naruto found it difficult to meet her eyes, particularly when he was stressed, as he was now.

"Why do you not think it's a good idea?" She asked in a rather neutral voice.

"Tsunade-baa-chan always said a wedding was a day for the bride. I don't want anything, including my birthday, to get in the way of that." Naruto reasoned. "October's also looking really busy for me. I have the ANBU recruitment and rank selections to make, I need to go over the harvest counts with the food ministry, then there are the trade talks at Kirigakure."

Unconsciously, Hinata's left hand started to clench. "Would November be better?"

"November's too cold. A lot of the council elders might not like that."

"I thought you didn't want the council elders to come to our wedding."

"I don't but your great-uncle said we had to, remember?"

"Then why not get married this summer?"

"It's already August. Summer's almost over."

"Then when, Naruto?" Hinata finally raised her whitened eyes. "When?"

To her surprise, he did not look away. When he didn't respond immediately, she risked another foray into the discussion.

"You said that we could get married when your arm was better. I've been told your healing sessions have been going well so far."

"Ayame's unlocking all seven chakras. We haven't done the last three yet."

Hinata bit down on her lip at the mention of the healer's name. "When I met her, she told me that she would work as quickly as she could. It's been a few months, why hasn't there been any progress?"

"I don't want to talk about her." The abruptness of his response surprised Hinata. It was no secret that he and Ayame had got on famously together. She did not need Takemaru to make up excuses for Naruto's absences when she knew exactly where he was and who with. Once, she had seen them walking up to the Pavilion together. The way they talked to each other was easy and familiar as though they had been friends for ages instead of several months. His smile was wider and genuine, it seemed. She had noticed the healer too and heard how Ayame's voice brightened when speaking to the Hokage.

An old yet quiet jealousy had awoken in Hinata when she gazed upon the couple.

 _I thought you had forgotten about that poor, dead girl._ Hinata wistfully thought. _It's been so long. Do you still think of her after all this time? Is that why you enjoy being with this healer? Because she looks so much like..._

Unhappily, she pushed aside her plate.

"Hinata, there's a lot going on right now. I have two thousand migrants at the Annex and there are more coming every day. ANBU already brought a hundred more at the border. The summit didn't go as I expected." Naruto candidly admitted. "I still don't know how to help these people whilst at the same time keeping our citizens happy."

"I don't understand, I thought the meeting had gone well?" Hinata broke away from her circle of troubling thoughts. She looked worried. "The other kages seemed so happy at the welcome banquet and none of them had said anything to me when we saw them off…"

"We couldn't come to an agreement."

"What does that mean for Konoha then?"

"Gaara came up with a temporary solution for now but we still need to figure out what to do in the long run." Naruto dropped down his utensils and placed his elbows on the table, leaning his forehead against the palm of his artificial hand as he did so. He was weary. He rarely discussed politics with Hinata as he thought she was more interested in domestic affairs rather than foreign policy. Today seemed an exception, as were the dinners they recently had. It was the first time in a long while since he had gotten together with her like this.

"Perhaps I can speak to my great-uncle?" Hinata offered. "I'm sure he can do something about this."

"Hanzei's already deported most of the refugees." Naruto pointedly replied as he raised his head. "Against my express orders."

"Naruto, he doesn't mean to undermine you." Hinata tried to explain. "He told me why he and the other council members voted to keep the migrants out. Last winter was difficult and the harvest was not as high as it could have been. My great-uncle was worried that we wouldn't have enough food to last us through this upcoming season."

"I get that, I do, but how can he expect me to do nothing when I'm seeing people getting sick and starving right at our doorstep?"

"My great-uncle is trying to protect our interests, Naruto." Hinata said quietly. "And he is very frustrated with me these days. Everyone is constantly asking me when our wedding is and I can't give them a straight answer. It's tiring."

Naruto's face softened. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Could you please be honest with me?" Hinata asked. Her voice was as thin and whispery as a dried leaf. "Do you want to get married? We've been engaged for two years now, Naruto. I don't want to wait anymore."

As they gazed at one another, Naruto felt a thousand words crashing against his lips and threatening to spill out all at once. He looked beyond her clouded irises that were as white as snow, willing all of his emotions in a kind of wordless exchange, hoping that she could somehow understand and _see_ what he was feeling.

"I need to talk to you about your clan."

Hinata was taken aback, not anticipating this sudden divergence of topic. "What about my clan?"

"I've received a lot of concerns about your family holding so many high-level positions in our government." Naruto was blunt. "Hinata, you're the heiress-apparent. I might be the Hokage but the clan won't answer to me because I'm not one of them. You're the only other person they listen to and they should, who cares what about Hanzei thinks? I never understood why the clan chose him as their de-facto leader when it should've been you after your father died."

"Hanzei is my great-uncle." Hinata shook her head. "He does outrank me. He's older, much more experienced. My relatives take his word over mine."

"They won't forever. He'll die soon and when that happens, you're going to be the one in charge. You can make the changes. Here and now. For our country, our people." Naruto was looking at her intently. "Hinata….I made a promise to Neji that I would dismantle the branch system within your clan. I tried talking to your father, even Hanzei about this but neither of them listened to me. When I became Hokage, I thought I'd be taken more seriously. Well, I'm two years in and there hasn't been anything done about the branch members."

"So what would you have me do?" Hinata betrayed a veneer of frustration. "Do you think I didn't entreat my father and great-uncle over this? My relatives won't accept it, Naruto."

"It's slavery." Naruto countered. "You know it is."

"You don't need to tell me twice. The branch members have always been angry with my side of the family." Hinata looked away, causing her hairpins to sway at the motion. "When Neji died, Hanzei and my father were concerned it would send them over the edge. They said the branch members would try to kill us in revenge."

"If your great-uncle oppresses them any further, they will." Naruto darkly promised. "You have to get Hanzei to give them freedom. Break their seals. Treat them as equal, honoured members of the family."

"But Naruto—"

"If we can't get this resolved, it's going to explode in our faces." Naruto interrupted. He did not mean to be stern or harsh but could not find another way to stress how important this was. "The clan has to stop appointing themselves as ministry heads and councilmembers. We need to allow people who are qualified for those jobs to take the lead. And we can't just push off the refugees onto the other countries whilst not doing anything to improve the situation."

"You are the Hokage." Hinata said softly. "By the laws of our country, you have more authority and power than I do."

"I'm not from the nobility." Naruto replied. "Your clan still sees me as some kind of illegitimate upstart. They vote against me at every opportunity. They take my commands but don't carry them out. I can't have them doing this anymore. I'll have to take forceful action against them if they don't stop."

"You make it sound as though my family is trying to usurp you." Hinata was displeased. "They've supported you in every way. They helped you get elected to your current position."

She knew she had said the wrong thing. Naruto's jaw tightened as he looked away. When he finally spoke, it was in a restrained but even voice.

"I'm not insulting your family, I'm trying to strike an even balance of power here." He said.

"All right, I'll discuss this with my great-uncle." Hinata said in a conciliatory manner although Naruto wasn't sure if she meant it or if she was merely trying to avoid a fight.

"I need you on my side."

"I _am."_ She looked hurt that he entertained doubts on such a thing. "You still didn't answer my question from earlier. Do you still want to get married?"

Her question echoed in Naruto's ears, harkening him back to the last time he had met with Kakashi. It had been winter. The snow had started to fall and had blanketed the entire village in endless white. They had agreed to a luncheon at Ichiraku and over the steaming hot ramen, Kakashi had imparted to him some final words of wisdom.

" _If you intend on keeping the Hyuuga in check and prevent them from going after Sasuke, you have to marry Hinata."_ Kakashi's advice had been as cold as the snow. _"You won't be able to weed them out of office or push them out by force without causing a civil war. But when you become Hinata's husband, the Hyuuga will have to listen to you and her. They won't touch Sasuke when you become the clan head. It's the safest way to maintain a balance of power."_

" _I'm not marrying her just to get some kind of political advantage!"_ Naruto remembered saying in disgust.

Kakashi had given him a long, hard look. " _You're not marrying her for love either."_

 _But she was there for me._ Naruto thought as he reflected on Hinata's anxious face. _She helped me get back on track. after Sakura died. She was my friend. Still is. She saved me once. I owe her, don't I?_

He made a fist.

 _I can grow to love her. I can. I will. I'll work hard on being a good husband to her. I can start by unlocking all the chakras and getting better, stronger, healthier so I can be the best. For her sake. For Sasuke's sake. Sakura would have wanted that._

He put on a brave smile that cost an enormous amount of effort to maintain.

"Hinata, of course I want to marry you."

"Then let's set a date." Her earnestness was almost too hard to bear. It was like looking directly at the sun.

"Okay." He agreed, still smiling. "How about we go with your idea for an autumn wedding? October, right? Let's do the 28th."

And as he watched her face relax and beam with happiness, somewhere deep within his heart, he felt a stab of pain.

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"Hold on. Just hold on, one more push and that's it, you're finished, and the baby will be here!" Ayame encouraged as she crouched low between a woman's legs.

A pair of women had propped up their pregnant friend with their arms, clucking sympathetically at her as they repeated Ayame's words _hold on, hold on._

The mother-to-be screwed up her face and pushed, letting out a yell as Ayame guided out a healthy baby girl into the world. Immediately wrapping the infant in a sterile towel, Ayame clamped the cord, cut it, and after ensuring the wound was sealed, she handed the baby to the exultant mother.

After the afterbirth had come and Ayame had cleaned up, she took off her bloodied gloves. Smiling, she proudly looked on, watching the mother cradle her newborn. The mother's two friends were ecstatic, congratulating her enthusiastically whilst cooing over the baby.

Exiting the tent, Ayame went to greet the father who had been anxiously waiting outside. The ANBU escorts were with him. All three men looked at her expectantly.

"It's a girl." Ayame announced in the language of Water. "You have a beautiful daughter."

The father's face broke into a wide, radiant smile. "Beautiful as her mother, milady?"

"Even more beautiful." Ayame answered as she gestured to the tent. "Come and see her."

Dazed and happy, the father slipped inside to greet his new family. The ANBU guards remained outside and turned their attentions to Ayame.

"What'd you say to him?" One of them asked.

"The baby is a girl." She explained.

"Well I'll be damned." The guard said good-naturedly. "The chap's got himself a little princess now."

"He's going to spoil her rotten." The other replied in a knowing voice. "Little girls make dads go weak at the knees."

At the comment, Ayame's mind flashed into a daydream of Naruto laughing and playing with a tiny girl who had his sunny blond hair. She shook her head, irritated. No, it wasn't any good to think of the Seventh that way. Especially after what he had said and how he treated her the week prior.

 _That big, fat-headed idiot,_ Ayame seethed.

This was the second birth that she had attended. Four broken bones that had to be set. A dozen children. A score of elderly migrants who were not faring well in the summer heat. Lacerations. Headaches. Nosebleeds. From sunrise to and well after sunset, she had taken care of it all. Her back was killing her lately and her hands had become chapped from frequent washing.

Still, it was a small price to pay than to spend all day in the Pavilion and brood in her room. It was unbearable to be there. Everywhere she went, she was reminded of Naruto and the thought of him now filled her with rage.

By the time Ayame saw her last patient, it was dark. Adjusting her wimple, she took out her necklace, exposing the pendant as it rested at the hollow of her neck. The guards escorted her back to the village gates and when she bade them farewell, she stepped into the main square where the evening market was in full swing.

Tired, she hardly paid attention to rowdy crowds of nin seated around the vendors who were selling them all sorts of late-night snacks. She did not pay attention to where she was going and when she finally realised she had gone the wrong way, she found herself in one of the village's older quarters. All around her were a series of decayed, dilapidated buildings. Looking worse for wear, they were hauntingly empty.

There was a remnant of a urgent care clinic, its windows having been smashed open and left bare. An abandoned bakery stood in forlorn silence whilst a floral shop and day care centre gathered dust. The largest structure appeared to be a police station and as she took in the full scope of her surroundings, she realised this was once a thriving part of Konoha and that many people had once lived here. Now they were just echoes of a long-forgotten past that had faded from living memory.

Getting nervous, she turned this way and that for an exit when she spotted a crumbling gateway. She thought she had finally found a way out when she stopped at the symbol painted on the cracked wall.

It was a simple, unadorned fan coloured in red and white.

It meant nothing to her and yet, the more she looked at it, she could not help feeling drawn to the image. There was something terribly familiar about it and the host of emotions that rose within her was an awful mix of sadness, anger, and disappointment.

She peered at the fan and reached out to touch it when she saw a shadow cross the wall.

"What are you doing here?"

Whirling around, Ayame found herself face to face with Sasuke. Bearing down on her from his much taller height, he stepped forward, forcing her to retreat.

"I….I got lost." She said, glancing at the sword secured around his waist. "I was on my way to the Pavilion."

"The Pavilion is on the other side." Sasuke looked as though he didn't believe her. She should have been intimidated but his tone flared her up instead.

"I just came back from the Annex doing clinical rotations." Ayame snapped, having had enough of Konoha nin for the day. "I didn't come on purpose. There's nothing here!"

"You're on the Uchiha estate grounds." Sasuke replied with equal enmity. "This is where I live."

Ayame could only gaze at him in unflattering disbelief. This horrid, decrepit place was _his home?_

"Like I said," she glared at him, "I came here by accident."

His eyes flickered over to her then to the fan symbol at the gateway. He was scrutinising her, she realised. Her chest tightened. Then suddenly, she saw his pitch-black irises narrow.

Before she could stop him, let alone react, he had swung his arm around her shoulders and tightly grasped her to him. She felt his other free hand go to her neck and tug at her necklace.

"Where did you get this?" He hissed, shaking the emerald pendant in front of her.

" _Let go of me!_ " Ayame fought to get away from him but Sasuke was too strong.

"Where did you get this? _Where?_ "

"Let—GO!" She screamed, finally pushing him off with a surprising amount of force. Like a loose cannon, she hurtled down the alleyway and fled as fast as her feet could carry her. She did not stop until she reached the Pavilion gates.

"My lady?" A sentry spotted her running towards him.

"I need to get inside." She gasped, feeling her sides burn. "Please. Quickly."

"Yes, of course." He signalled to another sentry. The oaken doors behind him drew open, revealing a well-lit courtyard. Nothing could have been a more welcome sight to Ayame.

"If Uchiha Sasuke asks for me, don't let him into the Hokage's palace." She commanded as she stepped inside and the gates swung to a resounding, secure close.

"As you wish." The sentry seemed puzzled by the instruction but nonetheless appeared to acquiesce to her demand.

She briskly made her way to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. To her relief, she saw a group of guards stationed all around the perimeter and felt a surge of gratitude towards them just for being there. When she got to her rooms, she nearly collapsed to the floor out of shock and fear. With shaking hands, she reached to touch the necklace around her neck and was glad when she felt the cool, smooth crystal at her fingertips. At least Sasuke hadn't taken it from her.

The memory of his touch sent a chill down her spine. She could feel the ghost of his arm around her back and winced.

Feeling unclean, she nervously smoothed the front of her robes, she unwound them out, letting them fall in a heavy grey puddle at her feet. The veil and circlet joined its descent followed by the wimple as she freed the starched cloth from her head.

Drawing a hot bath, she stepped into the tub and as she immersed herself, she listened to the sound of water rushing out of the faucet. She took a washcloth and rubbing the soap in between the wet folds, she worked up a lather and scrubbed her skin vigorously. She watched as white bubbly circles patterned her arms, all the while thinking of everything that had gone wrong in the last week. Although to be fair, she noted, it was undeniable now that she had caused a stir in Konoha since her arrival.

Ayame could no longer attribute the stares and looks from the villagers as mere curiosity. They had seen something in her—or someone—before she had known it herself.

Then there was Naruto.

She shut her eyes, trying hard not to think of him but that stupid blond head of his kept popping into her mind. She wasn't sure if she could forgive him for this latest row. The insults, how he yelled at her for no good reason. She could not believe less than a week ago, she had been entertaining the idea that they were friends! Friends!

Friends didn't yell at each other over a stupid thing like a dance….

….with the Kazekage….

Why would he care...?

It's not like he was jealous.

 _Jealous?_

Really?

She couldn't imagine why on earth Naruto would've been jealous. There was no reason for it. None at all. But what other explanation was there?

 _There isn't. He's an idiot, plain and simple!_ Her brain all but scoffed before returning to the thought of Sasuke. His behaviour was bizarre and worse yet, frightening. She could not fathom why he had taken such a sudden, violent interest in her necklace. She did not see much of the infamous Uchiha scion as he rarely visited the Pavilion and the few times she had crossed paths with him, he had simply ignored her. That he would so quickly and randomly run into her tonight then ask after a simple trinket was baffling to Ayame.

She looked down at the chakra crystal.

 _Maybe he wanted to steal it?_ She wondered as she rinsed herself off. She knew it was a rare item and worth some monetary value, at least from Namiko and Lady Asagao's estimations. But it still made no sense why someone like Sasuke would resort to thievery. Then again, considering he lived in a decaying ghost town, perhaps he really did need the money.

It also occurred to her that he could have easily caught up and silenced her if that was what he wanted. So why had he let her go? Why had he chosen to let her run for it?

After pondering the puzzle for some time, she gave up on it, concluding that Sasuke simply must have been upset that she had trespassed into his grounds. But it was an unsatisfactory explanation and she knew the mystery would nag her.

Her bath complete, she quickly changed into her nightdress and got into bed.

But sleep would not come.

She tossed and turned, feeling uncomfortable and restless despite lying in sumptuous covers fit for a princess. Unable to stand it any longer, she sat up and slipping into her shoes, she carelessly wrapped a wimple around her head. Throwing on a light cotton outer-robe, she went outside for a quick walk on the courtyard, hoping the activity would provoke exhaustion followed by somnolence.

The night air was balmy and warm when she stepped out of Heavenly Purity. A quarter moon loomed over the Pavilion's scarlet tiled roofs.

The inner court was empty save for a few guards who silently patrolled the wings. Once or twice, she caught sight of them but aside from a cursory once-over, they ignored her. All the lanterns' lights had been lowered to a dim glow.

Quietly, she strode across the court, pausing every once in a while to admire or look at an architectural feature more closely. She passed the Earthly Tranquility palace, knowing Hinata was sleeping there. Not wanting to cause a disturbance, she went around the Nursery instead.

It was a much smaller palace and had been built directly between Earthly Tranquility and Heavenly Purity. There were no guards and when Ayame went up the stairs, she found that it was unlocked. Curious, she slid the panels back, expecting to be confronted with cribs and children's toys, only to find a lavishly decorated antechamber.

From what she could discern in the moonlight, the walls were padded with crimson damask edged in gold. A series of portraits lined them in what appeared to be in chronological order. Taking a guess, she started at the far left where she looked upon a painting of a man with long dark hair and a jaunty, handsome face. Standing next to him with her hand suggestively on his chest, was a woman of unsurpassing beauty. Her deep red hair was almost burgundy in shade, admirably setting off her luminous complexion and large, dark eyes. She had been painted wearing a golden diadem and an exquisite set of scarlet-and-white robes to match.

Ayame looked down at the portrait's foot to see two names written in elegant calligraphy along with the dates of their reign.

"The First and his wife, Lady Mito." She read aloud.

She contemplated on the legendary couple, particularly at Lady Mito, the progenitor of humans serving as vessels for demonic beasts. She had known about Konoha's infamous history and remembered that it was Lady Mito and her faction who had chosen to pass on Kyuubi into the next generation.

 _You should have died taking the beast with you,_ Ayame silently judged her, _you could have ended this cycle of war in your time. Instead, you let them prolong it._

When her eyes went downward, she saw a tiny signature of the artist at the bottom right corner: Sai. Amazed that the captain of the Pavilion guard was artistically talented, she walked to the right, eager to see more of his work.

She came across another portrait identified as the Second. Where the First had been dark, the Second was fair with shaggy grey hair and eyes that recalled the colour of a rainy sky. Had it not been for the inscription at the bottom indicating his familial connexion with the First, she would never have guessed that they were brothers.

The portrait of the Third was substantially larger than his predecessors as it appeared he had chosen to be painted with his entire family. The Third was seated with his wife, a haughty and stern-faced woman. Like her husband, she too had the red-and-white robes but was wearing Lady Mito's diadem. Their two sons stood at their parents' sides along with their respective wives and children.

 _Was this before or after the Uchiha massacre?_ Ayame wondered as she gazed upon the Third's wizened countenance. That too was another dark part of Konoha's origins she remembered and so did the rest of the world, even if it was only whispered.

When she came to the Fourth and his wife's portrait, she recognised them immediately as Naruto's parents.

The Fourth was almost an identical twin of his son with the exception of a few, subtle differences. His nose was slightly longer and his cheeks were more angular. He seemed as though he had a kind of relaxed, confident air about him whereas Naruto was loud and brash like a burst of rogue flame.

But the two looked very much alike and from resemblance alone, there was no question that they were related.

Ayame paused at the image of Naruto's mother, a lovely young woman with bright red hair. Unlike the other Hokages' wives, she had not been painted with fanciful robes nor was she wearing Lady Mito's crown. Instead, she wore a simple but attractive dress and stood head-to-head with her husband.

Although Kushina had been depicted with a gentle smile and looked every inch a proper lady, Ayame fancied a playful spark behind those startling blue eyes. She had seen the same expression on Naruto's face before, when he rough-housed with the refugee children.

She had mixed feelings towards Kushina. On the one hand, she pitied her for having been the second Kyuubi carrier. On the other, she could not understand why the woman and her husband had allowed their only son to bear the burden of the beast, knowing full well what the consequences would be. Why had they not chosen to eradicate Kyuubi with them into the afterlife? Would that not have been better for everyone?

"Was it worth sacrificing your son's happiness and safety, just to make sure your village had a bijuu?" She sighed after seeing that their death dates matched Naruto's birthday.

She was met with a weighty silence.

"You must be proud of Naruto." She added after a while. "He's one of the best warriors the world has seen. He's the Hokage now, just like you." She glanced pointedly at the Fourth. "Although I have to say, he's been so arrogant lately. I don't know what's gotten into him."

The Fourth seemed to dolefully smile at her.

"I think your son is an idiot." She told him. "He's so quick-tempered….headstrong, immature, rude, and conceited!" She started to rant. "I can't believe he was chosen! I mean, why does he _even care_ that I danced with the Kazekage? He should be worrying about more important things like the migrant crisis or running his village instead of me!"

Perhaps it was really late or Ayame was seeing things but she could have sworn that she saw a glint of understanding and some measure of motherly exasperation in Kushina's face.

Ayame softened a little. "I understand that he has suffered." She conceded. "I know he didn't ask to be what he is and I am sure that he didn't want you both to die for his sake. He wanted to be normal, just like everyone else. It must have been hard for him, as a child, to be exposed to so much enmity."

She stopped, thinking back to when she had unlocked Naruto's fourth chakra and the terrible illusions he had been confronted with. Her mind went back even further, to the time when he had so readily agreed and helped her set up the clinic. When he had carried all those heavy supplies back and forth without complaint any time she asked for them. When he had played with the refugee children, treating them kindly and being surprisingly patient with their questions. When he had continued to feed and protect the refugees at the Annex despite his council's protestations, acting on the moral principle of exercising help for those in need rather than considering the political cost to himself.

When he had joked with her. When they had discussed the village and bounced off suggestions on how it could be run more efficiently.

He was a flawed man, Ayame knew. But he also had a strong, winning personality and was a charismatic leader. He was quick to laugh, possessed boundless energy, and although he had no subtlety, she grudgingly had to admit that he was shrewd in some areas and had proved to be an able tactician.

Of course, none of that could excuse the way he spoke to her. Since they had met, it had always been a form of push-and-pull between them. One step forward, two steps back.

 _It's always going to be like this with him,_ Ayame realised as she gazed at the long-dead imperial couple.

She turned away to see the portraits of the Fifth and Sixth Hokages. At the Fifth's portrait, she was gratified that a woman was among the illustrious ranks. Tsunade had an intimidating, fierce kind of beauty and there was oddly very little of her grandparents' looks in her. The Sixth too was also attractive although his face seemed careworn and weary beneath his authoritative stance.

Finally, Ayame arrived at the painting of the Seventh.

It was an unfinished sketch and had not yet been painted in. Sai had drawn Naruto and Hinata in red pencil, standing closely together and splendidly dressed in magnificent robes. They looked more like ghostly impressions on the canvas than a true likeness. The Seventh was not smiling and had been cast with a surprisingly intimate gaze at the viewer. It was a piercing look; he appeared as though he was waiting for something that he didn't think would happen.

As Ayame stood in the gallery, surrounded by an unbroken succession of kages and their families, she felt an acute sense of unbelonging. She stared at Naruto and Hinata, struck by the image. Although she was vaguely aware of his status, often forgetting it at times, seeing him in the trappings of a kage with his betrothed reinforced how different she was to Naruto.

Maybe he had been right at the beginning: they would not be friends. How could they? They led such vastly, incomparable lives. There was little to no middle ground for reconciliation of their world views.

Six months of freedom was all that Namiko had promised and with summer ending, Ayame knew her time was coming to an end. What a waste. She hadn't even unlocked the other three chakras. Besides, there was Sasuke, whose very presence scared her. She was now aware of what a stir she was causing in the village and remembering Sai's warning, her way forward was clear.

She had to leave, and soon.

Ayame returned Naruto's gaze and the longer she looked at the painting, the sadder she felt.

"I guess you don't need me anymore." She resignedly stated but as she said it, she felt a dull blow to her chest as though she had been struck. Pausing before the portrait, she dared to reach over to touch his cheek with her hand then stopped at the sight of Hinata.

Slowly, quietly, her fingers drew away.

She turned to go and when she started to close the screens after her, she watched Naruto's portrait darken as the shaft of moonlight grew narrower and narrower, until at last, the doors closed with a soft thud, sealing away the Seventh's image and along with it, a part of herself.

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The forest was utterly black and noisy.

Sasuke could hear the summer wind rustling through the trees. The rivers that coursed eastward from the mountains. The grasshoppers and cicadas humming their nightly song.

He waited in the shadows, watching for any sign of human movement until at last, he was gratified.

Emerging from the darkness, Naruto appeared, dressed entirely in camouflage black. He had even taken the precaution of hiding his trademark blond hair under a tightly wound cap.

"Did you get it?" Naruto asked without preamble.

Wordlessly, Sasuke slid out two rolls of parchment from his cloak and tossed it to him.

"That's the financial transactions between the Hyuuga ministry heads of food and labour," said Sasuke in a low voice. "It shows they've been colluding and misappropriating funds. The second parchment's for you, one of Hanzei's relatives sold off another bit of land. It's smaller than the last purchase."

"You did it using our system, right?" Naruto asked as he unrolled the first document and scanned it. To his grim satisfaction, he saw that Sasuke was correct. Here was yet another set of irrefutable proof that the Hyuuga ministry heads had rearranged the funding structures within their respective departments in order to fill the clan's coffers.

It had never sat well with Naruto that Hanzei owned a quarter of Konoha's landed wealth and had claimed sizeable chunks in the northern regions. He had always wondered how Hanzei had been able to uphold his land holdings and personal wealth during the war. It was even more suspicious during Konoha's recovery period and before he left the country, Kakashi had made it clear he too felt there was something off but had no evidence to confirm his suspicions.

The Sixth's retirement had come as a surprise as many felt he was still too young to abdicate his lofty seat. To Kakashi's regret, Hanzei maintained a considerable sway on the daimyo and his relations continued to spread within the various ministries like cancer. No matter what the Sixth attempted, he had been unable to procure a shred of proof that the Hyuuga clan was acting against Konoha's interests. Wishing to avoid a repeat of the Uchiha incident and sparing Konoha from a bloody faction war, the Sixth had stepped aside for Naruto.

The succession had seemed a natural choice but there was another reason for it too. Since Naruto had betrothed himself to Hinata, Kakashi thought him to be the perfect candidate to unite and appease the Hyuuga family in further integrating themselves in Konoha.

Unfortunately, it became all too clear after Naruto's inauguration and despite his engagement, Hanzei meant to fully take the reins of power and was determined not to let go.

It had taken Naruto and Sasuke extreme amounts of time and diligence over the years.

They had decided early on that a network of spies could not be used, deeming it too dangerous and likely risky. They tirelessly gathered together every scrap of information they could discover, keeping themselves extraordinarily well-informed on everything that concerned Hanzei and the Hyuuga clan. They pored over every financial document they could get their hands on and kept their ears open for rumours on the street, no matter how far-fetched they sounded.

Together, Naruto and Sasuke had pooled their money then devised a series of third-party entities to persuade lesser members of the Hyuuga clan to sell their properties, never letting anyone least of all Hanzei to discover that they themselves were the buyers. From that point, they had appropriated the income back to Konoha's budget, careful to tilt the flow of money away from the Hyuuga-appointed ministers. It was, admittedly, the same kind of game that Hanzei was playing with Konoha's officials. At the same time, it was oddly satisfying for Naruto to know that he was beating the old man out. Slowly but surely.

Although officially retired, the Sixth continued to work abroad under the guise of traveling, deliberately staying away from Konoha so as to deflect attention although he continued to send covert instructions to his former students. The ultimate goal, he constantly reminded them, was to remove the Hyuuga away from the ministry positions and lessen their influence in the Pavilion by constraining their wealth.

Of course, it had not escaped Sasuke's nor Kakashi's notice that their endgame was complicated by the fact Naruto was to marry the enemy's great-niece. How this would work out was left to Naruto to figure out although neither his friend nor teacher believed he could.

Nodding to himself, Naruto folded the parchments and slipped them securely into his vest pocket.

"You were late." Sasuke flatly observed.

"I had dinner with Hinata."

Sasuke paused. "Are you still planning to marry her even when you're about to publicly discredit her relatives?"

Naruto glared at him.

"I see." Sasuke smirked. "For someone who's inept at genjutsu, your level of disillusionment is impressive."

"Don't you understand? Hanzei is trying to find a way to lock you up."

"I'm already imprisoned." Sasuke's eyes appeared to gleam red. "I can't leave Konoha and I'm not welcome in any of the other four nations. What difference would Hanzei's cell make than the one I'm in now?"

"You're the one who went rogue."

"And you're the one who brought me back when I told you not to."

" _I didn't do that for me._ " Naruto harshly answered. "I did it for _her._ You know that."

The mention of Sakura neutralised the two for a moment and reminded Sasuke to bring up a certain topic that was bound to piss Naruto off.

"Your healer." Sasuke said. "Be careful of her."

"What does Ayame have to do with this?" Naruto snapped.

"She could be dangerous. She might be Hanzei's spy."

"Yeah, right." Naruto snorted, unable to imagine anyone least likely to meet that description.

"Watch yourself." Sasuke warned. "I've heard the villagers talk about her and you. They seem to think that you're attracted to her instead of your own betrothed."

" _I'm not."_ Naruto was furious. Why wouldn't anyone believe him? Even Sasuke was regarding him with marked scepticism. "So, what? D'you have anything more to say about my doc?"

Sasuke's face was a perfect mask of impassivity.

"No." He decided to lie, knowing Naruto would believe him no matter what. "Nothing at all."


	8. Propinquity

**A/N:** Readers, thank you for your comments and feedback! For those who have questions, again, they will be answered accordingly. There is a reason why things are happening the way they are and why recognition has not been immediate. Enjoy!

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The morning after Ayame sent a letter to Namiko indicating that she would be returning to the temple, she went to look for Sai.

Her sessions with Naruto were still suspended and by this point, she had given up on resuming them. It didn't matter. After all, she would be leaving soon. She found the Pavilion captain just after he had concluded morning rounds with the rest of the guards.

"Could I have a word?" She asked.

"Of course." He went with her willingly. They walked together at a leisurely pace about the outer courtyard, observing the changing of the guards.

"I heard you were in a bit of a fright a few days ago." Sai mentioned. "Some of the night-shift sentries tell me you've been staying up rather late. Is everything alright?"

"It's nothing." Ayame dismissed. She had no desire to speak of Sasuke and ruin her last few days with the thought of him. "I was wondering if I could ask you for a favour."

Sai's brows rose in interest.

"I found out that you were the artist for the Hokage portraits. They were very well drawn."

"Thank you." Sai politely accepted the compliment. "I guess you saw Naruto's portrait then? It's not finished."

"Actually, I found it arresting. Which is why I wanted to ask if you would be able to make a few drawings for me."

At that, Sai was surprised and did not bother hiding his reaction.

"I thought you could draw some blank sketches of Konoha, even the Pavilion." Ayame went on. "I'd like to give them to the refugee children at the Annex so they can colour it in themselves and have something fun to do. I can pay you if you'd like."

"There's no need." Sai smiled. Even now, she wasn't sure if it was genuine or not. But to her surprise, he slipped his hand into an inner pocket within his vest and drew out empty slips of parchment. Taking out a wrapped pencil, he took it out of its casing.

"You carry paper with you?" Ayame was amused.

Sai shrugged. "I like to draw on my free time. Besides, I'm done for the morning." He explained as he sat himself in a comfortable nook just steps away from the Hokage's garden.

She watched as he started to sketch, drawing red lines on the page. Gradually, the lines crossed, twisted, and blended to form a recognisable structure. Content to observe, she seated herself next to him. Making remarkable time, he completed a few simple drawings for the children and handed them to her. There was a variety of flowers and trees followed by a rudimentary outline of Konoha, the Pavilion, and some details like the dragon-heads on the Hokage's palace roof.

"These are perfect." She smiled. "I'll give them to the children the next time I see them. Thanks Sai."

"Here." He handed her the last sketch.

Puzzled, Ayame took it. The drawing was markedly finer and was of a woman. Her head was slightly angled and tilted downward, letting the veil flow around her like hair. Her eyes were closed yet a seraphic smile graced her lips. The copper red shading added depth and softness to her features, rendering a delicate effect. It was simple, beautiful, and unmistakably her.

"You made me much prettier than I really am." Ayame commented although she was rather touched by the gesture. She smiled at him.

"I draw what I see."

She nodded, unsure how to reply to this comment. After a while she said, "I thought about our last conversation."

Sai inclined his head.

"I still don't understand why but I can see where you are coming from." She continued. "I want you to know that I intend to depart Konoha on Saturday. The Seventh doesn't need my services any longer and he doesn't have to honour the agreement he made with me regarding the temple."

She knew he was mulling over her words judging by the silence that followed. Finally, she heard him shift in his seat and when she met his eyes, she thought for a moment that she could see a trace of regret in them.

"Does Naruto know about this?" Sai asked at last.

"Not yet."

"Well I think you should tell him now."

"Why?"

"Because he's walking up to you."

Startled, Ayame turned around to see the Hokage coming right for her. When he caught her looking at him, he stopped.

They stood.

They watched.

And waited.

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 _Two hours earlier_

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The summer sun burned white and hot in the midday.

Brushing off a trail of sweat from his temple, Naruto ambled through the market square, navigating cautiously around the rush hour crowds. Those who spotted and recognised him bowed their heads in his direction but his mind was elsewhere. He had much to do today. He knew any efforts he spent would not be rewarded immediately. Forgiveness took time and a move forward.

And it was on him to take that first step.

He went directly over to the Yamanaka floral stand but when he saw that Ino wasn't there and her shop didn't have what he was looking for, he went to the other stalls. There, his eyes were besieged with colour. He passed on the fiery snapdragons, delicate stalks of freesia, lilies, orchids, daffodils, daisies, and even roses. He had started to rummage through the water buckets when a florist came up to him.

"Afternoon, sir." The florist smiled. "A pleasure to see you always. Well, what shall it be? Another order of sunflowers for Lady Hinata, I take it?" He went over to bring up a bunch of the bright, cheerful flowers when Naruto held up his hand.

"Actually, I'm not here for that."

"Oh?" The florist was surprised but set down the sunflowers. "Then were you thinking for another flower, sir? We have other blooms for Hinata-sama if that is your preference."

"No," said Naruto. "I wanted to get something for a friend."

"What were you thinking?"

"D'you have any irises?"

The florist did. He showed Naruto the whites, pinks, blues, and violets. In the end, the Hokage paid for a small clutch of blue irises which the florist wrapped in a simple cone of brown paper tied with raffia string.

When he returned to the Pavilion, he stopped by two places. The first was to the kitchens, where he accidentally startled the cooks and puzzled them even more when he asked about Ayame's preferences.

"Well, she's got a good appetite." The main chef said in a rather uncertain voice. "Always polishes off her plates, that one does. I never got a single complaint from her."

"She seems to like sweet things, Hokage-sama." A junior cook spoke up.

"Anything in particular?" Naruto inquired further.

"Dango." A kitchen hand mentioned after some moments. "I've seen her come back from the market with those."

"D'you have any that I can have now?" Naruto asked.

The cooks obeyed, although they threw sidelong glances to each other as they worked. They prepared a box with green-tea and cherry-blossom flavoured dango coated with honey then sent off the Hokage on his way in spite of their chagrin.

The second place was to the Pavilion library. Admittedly this was a section that Naruto seldom went to and the librarian there was equally befuddled to see him. The librarian's brows rose even higher when he made his request. Tall, rail-thin, and somberly dressed, she looked as though she would outlive everyone.

"You do realise that you are asking for an artifact. It's one of the oldest books in Konoha's collection." The librarian noted with some disapproval in her voice.

"Well isn't it kind of included in my privileges as a Hokage?" Naruto asked rather awkwardly.

"Yes, it is." The librarian confirmed after some thought. "But are you going to read it yourself?" She suddenly looked suspicious.

"I was going to let my healer borrow it for a while."

"Young man, this is not some ordinary novel meant for leisure reading." The librarian reprimanded. "This is a manuscript dating back to the First's time. It was written by his own personal physician and contains techniques that are still used today by our village. To show it to an outsider—"

"—Ayame is _my_ personal physician." He interrupted. "She's not some random person. She's part of my team."

"Your healer is here quite often." The librarian countered. "She reads anything she can get her hands on and she's asked for that particular book before." She nodded knowingly. "I refused, of course. All the ancient manuscripts are for Hokages or senior councilmen only."

"Well, I'm the Seventh Hokage so doesn't that mean you have to lend it to me?" He asked with a touch of insolence.

Pursing her lips, the librarian refrained from speaking. She primly got up from her desk, whipped out a pair of sterile gloves, and disappeared into the numerous, shadowy eaves. A few minutes later, she returned with a lacquered box inlaid with mother-of-pearl.

"The manuscript is inside." She informed Naruto. "Tell your healer that if she wishes to read it, she must do so in dim lighting and with gloves on. She _cannot_ touch the pages with her own hands."

"Thank you."

"This is the second time you've come in, Hokage-sama. The first time you walked in here by complete accident." The librarian peered at him. "It's a pity you only take after your father in looks. He loved reading."

"He did?" Naruto's eyes brightened in interest. He had no idea that the librarian had known Minato.

"Yes." The librarian now seemed displeased. "Of course, he seemed to favour those awful books by Jiraiya-sama. They were the worst."

Naruto couldn't help but grin.

"Mind you, that manuscript is precious. If anything happens to it…"

"I know. You'll come after me."

"You can count on that, Seventh." The librarian vowed.

Naruto smiled.

When he came out of the library with his gifts in hand, he traversed across the inner court to return to Heavenly Purity. Even though it was his second year living in the palace, he still had yet to adjust to the Pavilion's expansive grounds. It was so different from what he had grown up with. Back then, the Pavilion had been nothing but round-topped structure with just a handful of offices and sparse living quarters for the Hokage where Heavenly Purity now stood. He was surrounded by unparalleled splendour and beauty; nothing looked as though it had been marred by war and internal strife.

If only people could see what really went behind the Pavilion's walls….

He looked up.

A slight figure of a woman was talking to Sai, holding some papers in her hands. He saw her turn her head.

Green met blue.

And then came the silence.

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Not another word passed between Naruto and Ayame as they stood across from each other.

Sai's eyes went back and forth from the Hokage to the healer. Immediately understanding that he had no place in the conversation that was about to take place, he stepped away.

"Ayame." Sai bowed as he departed.

Neither she nor Naruto spoke even after Sai had long gone. The silence in between them was awful and tense. Unable to take it any longer, Naruto opened his mouth to talk and as soon as he did, he regretted it.

"I got you something." He blurted out as he thrusted the gifts to a bewildered Ayame. Wordlessly, she stared at him as though he was some kind of a slug that had oozed its way to her.

"I'm sorry." He was nervous. He was barely a minute in and was already botching this. He knew it yet the more he tried to stop himself from appearing stupid, he was succeeding superbly in doing just that. "Umm—I got these flowers because they kind of look like you—not that you're blue—and dango. The cooks told me you like the stuff."

"What do you want?" Ayame said at last. When he didn't say anything, she went on: "I believe you didn't 'think it was right' for a lowly novice like myself to be…..what was it….'intimate with a kage'? If that's what you think, I can't accept these gifts. It would be inappropriate."

"I don't want anything. I came here to apologise."

"I am honoured." Ayame said flatly.

"I get that you're mad and you should be. I was a twat and I was being stupid. I just…" Naruto struggled to maintain his words under her green gaze. "Look, I'm sorry. I truly am. It wasn't right for me to talk to you like that or to lose my temper. I've had a lot things happen to me recently and I lost my head. I wasn't rational."

"No, you weren't." She agreed in a rather frosty voice.

Naruto took a breath. This was not going to be easy. He was prepared to accept that she would not forgive him. At the very least, he hoped she would at least give him a chance to explain.

"The summit didn't go well. I wasn't able to get anything done and I made Konoha look unable to handle the refugees." He admitted with brutal honesty. "I got frustrated because the screw-up was my fault. Another one of mine to add to the list." There was bitterness in his words.

Ayame sighed. "Did you honestly think that you would get this solved with one summit?"

"Well yeah, that was the whole point! It's a crisis out there, we have to take action on this."

"Yes but it's not a short-term disaster," said Ayame. "This has been happening for years, Naruto. We're only seeing a resurgence now because things have gotten so bad in the refugees' own villages, they have no choice but to leave. They were already in terrible shape long before this happened. Believe me, I've seen it firsthand. My temple has been caring for these people since the war ended.

"The minor villages have always been marginalised by the other five nations—they've never been considered in trade or other treaties. They've been allowed to run amok without any guidance, I mean, a lot of them were ruled by thugs! They profiteered from war, wasted public money, and upheld really corrupt practices. You and the other kages have to work on implementing solutions that address those deep-seated issues in addition to handling the refugees who are migrating into your countries."

"The 'solution' some of the other kages came up with weren't in Konoha's interests." Naruto did not know why he was being so candid with her on this subject. It was refreshing to talk to someone unaffiliated with the village about the matter a it allowed a degree of objectivity to be injected into the discussion.

"Can I ask what they offered you?"

Naruto paused. "They wanted something that I couldn't give them."

"In exchange for what?"

"More money. A promise that they'd take care of any additional refugees that came to Konoha."

"Is this 'something' integral to your village? Would it's removal compromise your country in any way?"

"It'd compromise me." Naruto brusquely replied. "And I'd be breaking a promise."

But as he said it, his mind was pulled backwards into the past on the day Sasuke had been brought back to Konoha at long last.

He remembered many people had been outraged when they learned Sasuke was to live amongst them again. Tsunade had a hellish time in rationalising to the rest of Konoha and its daimyo why Sasuke should be allowed to stay. This problem had carried over in Kakashi's reign and although over time, the complaints died down, there still remained palpable dislike between Sasuke and the village.

Hanzei himself had been infuriated. He insisted that Sasuke be executed as he felt the Uchiha scion had demonstrated nothing but contempt for Konoha and would like nothing more than to see it burn. Why then, he had asked the Fifth and Sixth, should such a person be allowed to live freely?

Sasuke had thus far lived a quiet and solitary existence. A fragile truce existed with him and the village in that neither would encroach upon their respective liberties. It seemed the latter had reasoned that as long as Naruto lived, Sasuke would remain tied and loyal to Konoha. But that link was a very fine one indeed and could be severed in a heartbeat.

It was hard on Naruto to not shout the truth at the village. If only he could tell them how Sasuke had been helping wrest control away from the Hyuuga clan and how he had undertaken clandestine missions to recapture missing nin at great personal risk to ensure the village's safety. But such things were impossible for Sasuke operated in the shadows and secrecy was vital. Deviation equated to exposure and failure.

"Have you weighed it fairly with what's right for Konoha?" Ayame asked although from her tone it sounded as though she knew the answer already.

"Yes." Naruto said as the cries of a twelve year old girl echoed hauntingly across his thoughts. Keeping his vow to Sakura had costed him far more than he had dreamed of. He would never gain universal popularity with Konoha for protecting Sasuke. It had allowed an opportunity for the Hyuugas to exploit it and rendered him politically weak in front of the other kages.

"Was it worth it?"

"I can't break my word on this." His voice was filled with regret. "Then again, I haven't been able to keep any of my promises lately."

He looked down at the lacquered box in his hand, concentrating on the carved phoenixes and chrysanthemums along the front.

"After the war, I thought the village would get a chance to really turn things around. The Sixth was my teacher and when he got elected, he started getting Konoha away from military enterprises. The way he explained it to me was he thought we had to have a new economy based on stuff that wasn't associated with maintaining conflict. So we beefed up our crops, we went into the forestry business, and we started an international trade with the other nations.

"It wasn't easy but we got off on a pretty good start and we were able to _finally_ rebuild. Hanzei helped with a lot of the restructuring and Kakashi-sensei was grateful for the assistance. Since we were all working together, I thought we'd come out of this united. But then Hanzei started buying out a lot of the land and his relations were popping up in every ministry. He became richer and more powerful than our own Hokage.

"Kakashi-sensei tried to stop it but he got outmaneuvered. He wanted to keep the peace and not get into a civil war so he stepped down. He thought that since I was engaged to Hinata, they'd listen to me more than him. Well he was wrong."

Naruto took a deep breath.

"I haven't been able to do _anything._ " The admission was wrenched from him against his will. "I promised that I would get rid of the branch system within the Hyuuga clan. I didn't. I promised that I would change the ninja system and stop the conflict in between our nations. I didn't even do that! We might be at peace but you're right, we still haven't included the other smaller villages in any major decisions and there are a lot of rogue S-class nin out there doing damage. I haven't even able to get Sasuke reparations from our daimyo for his clan's massacre. _So many_ people want him gone….I don't know if I can keep him safe."

He waited for Ayame to snap at him and fervently confirm all of his faults but he heard nothing.

"I'm the worst Hokage in Konoha's history." He harshly pronounced. "When people look back, they're going to see nothing but a weakened guy trapped between all these clan factions and who didn't do shit to help make the world a better place. They're going to remember me as the village idiot who went back on his word. I wasn't angry at you...or even Gaara that night. I was angry at myself. I still am. How can I _not_ be? After everything that I failed at?"

Ayame observed the Seventh with a mixture of pity and pique.

"Your aims are so high." She finally said. "No wonder you feel overwhelmed."

"I thought I could do it all."

"A lot of people thought so too." Ayame acknowledged. "You are one of the most powerful men in the world. I suppose it was reasonable for everyone to assume you would succeed where others failed. But these things take time and you won't be able to overhaul an entire system that has been in place for the last thousand years in the first two years of your reign."

She paused.

"What inspired you to make these promises?"

He told her everything. About Sasuke, Neji, Nagato, Danzo, and Obito. He recalled every terrible battle and outcome. The more he talked, the lighter he felt. A pressure lifted from his chest, leaving him alleviated.

"You make them so villainous." Ayame commented when he got to the part about Akatsuki and Danzo.

"How can you defend them?" Naruto asked in disbelief. "They murdered a lot of people and for no good reason!"

"I don't doubt that they were evil," she said. "But did you ever consider that you could learn something from them too?"

"What the _hell_ could I 'learn' from those guys other than destroying the world and taking innocent lives?"

"All of your former enemies and your friend Neji had one thing in common: they wanted to change the status quo. They all wanted peace and equality, even Obito. Their ideologies were radical, yes, and the execution was deeply flawed. But given all that has happened in the past, can you blame them for wanting that goal?"

"I s'pose not." Naruto grudgingly agreed after a long moment. "Still doesn't excuse them from what they did."

"No, but you can at least understand why they felt motivated to take such extreme positions. Each of your opponents may have had a troubled past but it wasn't just their personal losses that drove them to that point. They wanted to transform the world into a place where no one would have to suffer like they did."

"You're a lot more forgiving of them than I am." Naruto remarked.

"The gods teach us that mankind's ultimate destiny is to achieve enlightenment. Forgiveness is one of the many things that can allow you to untether yourself to earthly attachments like anger, fear, and hate." Ayame gave a hollow smile. "Of course, it's easy in theory but a lot harder in practice."

"Well if you were the Hokage, what would you do?" He challenged.

Ayame inclined her veiled head; the sheer fabric swayed ever so slightly with the motion as she contemplated on her answer.

"I'd enforce policies that ensured peace and generated wealth for Konoha." She replied with care and deliberation in her words. "I'd continue the Sixth's plans in encouraging foreign trade and commerce with the other nations. He was right to think that statecraft is a safer, preferable way than war to achieve one's aims. But I think he gave up too easily on resolving the issue with the clans." She added much to Naruto's surprise.

"What else?" He persisted.

"The bloodline clans aren't promoting stability within any country." Ayame opined. "From the refugees that I used to treat the temple, I heard quite a few of them in the lesser countries used their inherited powers and used their family wealth to hire mercenaries. Those measures allowed them to become de-facto rulers of their villages." She gave Naruto a pointed look. "If you and your other councilmen are worried about the Hyuugas, why don't you promote 'new' men and women instead of restricting high-level positions to clan members?

"People whose talents could really help in creating a strong, centralised government. Once they've proven their worth, you could have them sent out as administrators and justices to remote areas to administer a more even spread of law and order. That might help in deterring away the missing nin from infiltrating your borders."

Naruto could not help but stare at her incredulously. For a temple maiden, she certainly knew a hell of a lot more than he did about government affairs. "Where'd you learn all this?" He asked in wonder.

"I read." Ayame said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Your library has a wonderful collection, you should review it some time."

"All right, let's say I did that." He went on doggedly. "Hanzei is definitely going to resist me. Then what?"

"Does he have any leverage against you?"

"Yeah." Naruto nodded reluctantly. "He's got a lot of influence, money, and power. He's well-connected with a ton of people and he's been a councilman a lot longer than I have been as a Hokage."

Ayame raised her head. The afternoon rays caught the back of her veil and wimple in a fierce, orange glow.

"You'd have to amass a fortune that made you financially independent of the council." She said at last. "You'll need to be kept well-informed on what the clan is doing and above else, you have to ban _any_ clan—not just the Hyuugas—from keeping their own private soldiers. This is to prevent them from raising their own armies. That's how the lesser villages got swarmed with dictators."

Naruto was just about to tell her that he had been precisely doing that for the last four years but remembered who he was talking to and kept his mouth shut. Instead, he ventured another hypothetical situation: "What if I restricted them from getting their money?"

"If you did that, I guarantee you'll have a rebellion and the public support will go to the Hyuugas." Ayame gazed at him. "You would be overstepping yourself on their individual liberties. If you limit the clan, you could potentially limit anyone else...at least, I think the people would see it that way. But there are many ways to peace." She observed. "And you're already undertaking one of the most ancient and proven methods."

"My engagement with Hinata."

"Yes." For some reason, her reply came out more roughly than she had intended but she tempered it with an encouraging smile. "But I know it's a love match between the two of you so it's not as bad as it could have been."

An awkward pause lapsed in between them again, only this time it was fraught with uncertainty rather than tension.

"Here, this is your other present." Naruto handed her the lacquered box. "It's the manuscript written by the First's physician." He added when she looked inquiringly at him. "I thought you'd like to read it."

She stared at him, speechless.

"What?" He was suddenly anxious. "D'you not like it?"

"No, no I do!" Ayame recovered her wits in time to quickly reassure him. "It's just…." She hesitated as she looked to the bundle of gifts in her arms. "The manuscript is priceless. Don't you want to take a look at it first?"

"Well it's not like I'm going to read it anytime soon." Naruto wryly grinned.

She considered him for a moment. "Actually, are you free right now?"

Now it was Naruto's turn to be perplexed. He agreed to walk with her back to the garden pagoda and after seating themselves across from one another, she explained her purpose.

"I want to unlock your fifth chakra."

Naruto's brows rose high. "Now?"

"Yes, now." Ayame nodded. "I can't think of a better time."

"Why?"

"Because you were honest with yourself and reckoned with your failures." Ayame explained. "You're facing the lies which you have been telling yourself and that is the key to removing the impediment to your fifth chakra."

She took a breath to relax herself whilst her patient watched her intently. "Are you ready?"

He hesitated. "The last time was painful."

"How did you feel afterwards though?"

He saw her point at once. "...relieved."

"Do you trust me?"

He looked up to see her levelling her gaze with his own.

"Yes." He didn't even hesitate. Not even Sasuke's suspicions had crossed his mind. Without thinking, he reached out for her hand. His metal palm gleamed under the sun's rays.

He watched her fingers almost gliding in the space between them until they met the appendage. He felt the front of her robes brush ever so slightly against his knees. When she placed her other hand upon his chest, his heart quickened under her touch. He was so close to her that he could see the outline of her cheek against the veil and the wimple crinkling underneath her neck.

He swallowed hard.

"What's under your cap?" He asked in an effort to distract his mind on something else.

"Nothing," he heard her say. The word fell against his ear.

"You don't have any hair?"

"Vanity is an earthly attachment. Temple maidens have to be beyond that. We can't hold onto things that distract us from our spiritual duties."

"What else aren't you allowed to have?"

"A lot." He thought he could detect a trace of ruefulness.

"It must be hard."

Her eyes found his.

All at once, he felt himself becoming weightless as an unseen force lifted him into another plane. The sunlight dimmed and the sound of water lapping against the pond's edges was dulled out. His body was nothing more than a shell and as his heart gave out another a beat, he let go.

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The first thing Naruto discerned when he felt himself enter another dimension was the geometrical, windowless edifices surrounding him. There was a sky and a sea below yet he had the strange sense that he was looking at them from reverse side up.

It was a colourless, sparse world marred by tempestuous weather. The heavens had darkened to threatening shades of black and grey. A flash of lightning was seen followed by a clap of thunder. Heavy raindrops fell and slid away from the glass tiles from which the buildings were composed of, falling down into the waters below.

" _Hold on."_ Ayame's voice echoed.

He turned around to look for her. Instead, he faced an ocean. The water frothed and swirled, drawing away then sweeping out across the beach again. He could swear that he heard whispers across the waves and as he drew closer, his feet touched the wet sand.

He peered into the sea.

A reflection emerged from the depths. It was tall, of strong build, and wore the white kage robes. When it smiled, Naruto realised he was looking at himself. Only, his reflection's features were twisted in cunning. There was a coldness in those flat, blue eyes; devoid of laughter and life.

" _You're a selfish, needy,_ _ **entitled**_ _brat."_ The image condemned. _"You're just a tool like everyone else. You've never won without someone covering for your ass. You didn't get to where you are through hard work. That's on Kyuubi, not you."_

Naruto stared after it, unable to speak.

" _See….nobody really cares about you. You're not their friend. To them, you're just a weapon and that's all you're ever going to be. They didn't choose you to be their Hokage because they love you. They_ _ **fear**_ _you."_

The image rose from the water as a corporeal being. It's skin seemed to glow even though there was no sun in this tempestuous world. When it stepped onto the beach, Naruto retreated back, eyes wide in shock.

" _All these years, you made promises that you can't keep."_ The image leered. _"You're a failure and you'll disappoint everyone, like always. Sakura wasn't the only person you've let down. There are others. So many,_ _ **many**_ _others…."_

"I kept my word to her." Naruto said although his defence was no more than a whisper. "I've kept Sasuke safe. I brought him back."

" _Safe!"_ The image spat. " _Safe, is he? You brought back him, you say? Is he really the same after all this time?"_

He closed his eyes then opened them again, feeling the water slide down his face. This wasn't real. It couldn't be. He knew he was in a dreamstate induced by the chakra unlocking. And yet….

"He'll always be my friend." He answered in quiet fury. "That's never changed and it never will."

" _He betrayed you."_ The image unflinchingly responded. _"No matter how many times you forgive him, no matter how many excuses you make for him, you know what he's capable of. He isn't loyal to Konoha. One day soon, you'll face him again in war and you'll have to kill him."_

"He's loyal to _me_." Naruto seethed, barely able to contain his anger at this point.

" _You made a vow to a girl who didn't even love or care about you."_ The image taunted. _"Do you think for one second that she gave a shit? She didn't. All she ever wanted was for Prince Sasuke to rescue her and give her a happy ending. You were never part of that story."_

"Shut up!"

" _And this_ ," the image ridiculed with venom, _"is the saint that you are defending!"_

Naruto lost it.

Charging head on without a single strategy in mind, he swung his fist in one great arc only to have it clash against the image's forearm.

Energy blasted out from the impact like an exploded bomb. The aftershocks ricocheted throughout the dreamworld and rang out ten-fold as the ground trembled hard. A deep crack split across along the earth as flashes of chakra wildly flew up into the air.

Eyes blazing, an animalistic snarl escaped Naruto's lips as he bore down. With a speculative, clinical interest, the image met his gaze over the grating limbs between them.

" _It's pathetic to keep pretending to be something you're not,"_ the image looked into Naruto's face, _"you're not the Hokage you thought you were. You'll never be as good as your father."_

As an answer, Naruto threw him off and sent a slash of chakra horizontally only to cut nothing but air. With a dancer's grace, the image stepped around him and attempted to strike from behind, meeting Naruto's steely arm instead.

"What the hell are you?!" demanded Naruto.

" _Isn't it obvious?_ " The image lifted it's free hand.

A terrible sound of glass breaking was heard followed by the fall of a thousand glittering shards. As if by command, the glass rose to form into a glittering, deadly stream levitating in the air. Twisting and coiling around in the air like a snake, it plunged downward.

Diving out of its way, Naruto shot out a whirlpool of energy, splitting the glass river into two only to have it multiply into five more razored strands. They chased after him with ferocious speed, impacting everything they touched and leaving sparkling remnants embedded onto the surface.

Guiding the glass with one hand, the image gestured towards the sea. The water rose high and crashed its way out, the torrents coursing fast along the crossing and slamming Naruto against the base of a building.

Naruto swirled helplessly around, encased in a suffocating mass of water and struggling to breathe as the wave continued to pin him against the wall. His eyes burned as he kept them open and his lungs were beginning to feel as though lead had been pumped into them. His robes floated around him like white balloons and were filled with water, pulling him down…down…down…

Just as his sight was beginning to dim, he took a risk and opened his mouth.

" _Rasengan…_ " Bubbles issued from his mouth and floated to the surface.

Blindly, he thrust his arm out, allowing the water to explode around him. Falling straight down, he coughed and sputtered out excess fluid. Chest heaving, he forced himself to stand up and swiped back his soaked hair away from his eyes. Smoke was rising in black plumes and the smell of burnt metal permeated the air.

A great torrent of fire suddenly appeared only to be neutralized once again by Naruto. He flung the offense back with an enormous wave of condensed chakra. Springing away, the image escaped the attack, gliding through the metropolis with fire and leaving trails of flames in his wake. A torrent of fireballs followed, whizzing furiously to the direction of their target.

Naruto sped his way in and out, from one corner to the other, trying to pin down his opponent but to no avail.

Windows burst from their frames as another building folded onto itself, tearing down hangings and falling several hundred feet before smashing onto the beach.

Grinning, the image stopped in his tracks and swept his arms around in perfect form, causing the flames to condense and rise again into several perfect lines of blue. Using his hands, he mimicked the motions of a whip, scourging the city and everything in his path. The lines lashed and hissed as they licked up the sides of walls, turning everything that touched it into ash while flying through the air to catch Naruto into its destructive embrace.

"Shit!"Naruto raised a protective arm, forming another crescent barrier of blue energy to separate himself from the fire.

The two forces collided with a blast.

A deafening explosion shook all foundations causing the remaining edifices to sway from the impact. The sky reddened as ash and smoke rose even higher into the atmosphere.

" _I am the real you."_ The image towered over him. _"I'm what you really want to be: limitless and unbound."_

"That's not the kind of person I am!" Naruto shouted above the roar of the storm.

" _No, you're not."_ The image smiled mockingly. _"You're a man who can't keep his word. Who failed at every turn. Who relies on his inherited powers and friends instead of your own hard work. You're a fake."_

Suddenly Naruto found himself flying backwards in the air. Clumps of concrete-steel bludgeoned his face and chest from the ensuing impact. He skidded along the sand, tumbling and bumping until at last he landed with a crash, forming a massive crater. Screaming from the pain of shattered ribs and a broken leg, he fell back, winded in his agony.

The image stood above Naruto. Reaching down, it roughly tugged at Naruto's hair and forced his head to face him.

" _You're a killer."_ It whispered. _"That's all you're good for. No one has ever truly forgiven you for what you are and what you've done. And they never will."_

Whatever light there was left in Naruto's eyes faded. A hundred defences filled his mouth like corrosive bile, threatening to be spat out. Yet as he laid on the wasted beach, with raindrops pelting his face, he felt a rush of water sweep past his head and a cold calm came over him.

Bruised and broken, his lips formed into a trembling, tragic smile.

"You're right." Naruto said hoarsely.

A shadow of surprise crossed over the image's face.

"I haven't kept my promises." Naruto acknowledged. "I know some people won't accept me for what happened. I understand that the village hates Sasuke and they have their reasons for it, I won't deny that. He's not who he used to be. I don't think he ever will be. There's so much that happened that we can't go back to being the friends we once were."

His hand clenched into a fist.

"I'm not the Hokage I'd like to be. But it doesn't mean I can't or shouldn't stop trying to be better. I'm still learning every single day what it means to be a leader. The promises I made are things that can't be solved right away or by talking. It's going to take time and a lot of effort. Just because I haven't made it happen yet, it doesn't mean I've broken my vows."

" _But you already have._ " The image said in quiet disgust. _"Do you remember the day Sakura died? Do you remember what you said at her grave? Your final promise in this lifetime."_

"I've never forgotten it."

" _You_ _ **will**_ _break it."_

"No." Naruto answered softly as chakra started to swirl in a dangerous orbit around his other open palm. "I won't."

" _If she was still here, she would never forgive you."_

"She doesn't have to." A determined glint sparked in Naruto's eyes. "No one has to. Not the village, the council, or Kakashi-sensei." A blue orb was now fully formed in his hand. "Because I will. I can forgive myself for this."

" _Can you?"_

"I'll work every day until my last breath to protect Konoha from experiencing war." Naruto's voice grew stronger and bolder. "I'll probably mess up a few times but I'll be able to find other ways to get there. It doesn't mean I'll forget or condone my failures. I can't change Sasuke or fix him. But I can accept what he is and do right by him."

The image's grip tightened on Naruto's head. It's eyes were turning into an inhuman shade of ice blue.

"That's all I can do..." Naruto grinned at it. "...and it's enough for me now."

Instantly, he suckerpunched the image and as his fist collided into its cheek, instead of meeting skin and bone, he felt it shatter upon impact. The aftershock that followed rippled through him in one powerful wave.

The image fell backwards, it's face now reduced to a broken mess of shards. As it descended to the ground, it's body began to disintegrate then broke apart into hundreds of pieces when it landed on the beach.

A deafening sound of thunder echoed throughout the dream world and when Naruto looked up, expecting to see a black sky, he saw grey clouds from which narrow shafts of sunlight shone through. The rain was lessening to a fine mist and the rough seas swelled high then were brought back down into gentle, low waves.

Instinctively, Naruto reached out to touch a sun ray when he felt the ground underneath him give away.

His hands grasped futilely at nothing but air as he plummeted into descent. His mouth opened to scream. Then just before his body hit the lowest point, a blinding burst of white light exploded into view with a beautiful voice following in it's terrible wake.

" _I've got you! I've got you, it's okay!"_ He could hear Ayame calling.

He was falling faster and as he closed his eyes to meet what felt like certain death, he felt his back hit something soft and his head catch into a grip.

The light vanished.

It took several minutes for Naruto to regain his focus, by which time he looked up to see the face of his saviour.

Ayame was holding him in her arms, cradling the back of his head with her hand. His neck was resting against her forearm whilst her other arm had been flung protectively over his chest as she knelt beside his fallen form. Her veil fell over her shoulders like a gauzy, sheenless sheet of hair as she regarded him with concern.

"You fainted." She said.

Naruto couldn't answer. He stared after her with such intensity that she blinked and looked away. Then, before she had time to register what was happening, she felt his fingertips touch the curve of her chin.

Slowly, quietly, softly, they guided her face back to his.

An awful silence descended upon them as their eyes met. She gazed down at the kage who lay within her arms as she felt his thumb trace out her jawline. When it ran over her lips, she opened them in surprise, getting an accidental taste of his skin.

Still, his fingers lingered there. They brushed along her neck in hesitating circles against the fabric of her wimple.

She felt a terrible tightness in her chest as though she was underwater yet she remained where she was, finding herself not wanting to let go of him. Her hand stayed upon his chest whilst the other kept his head from sinking to the floor. His blond hair rubbed against her palm.

Then she felt his hand descend to her sternum, hovering dangerously close to her chest.

"It's time for you to rest." She spoke, breaking the spell.

Carefully, she raised him up and when she was sure he could sit still without help, she moved away.

"You did well unlocking that chakra." She commented, avoiding his eyes as she busied herself with gathering up her gifts. "I'm sure the sixth and seventh will go smoothly. We're almost done here."

Naruto said nothing. His quietness was beginning to unnerve her.

"Thank you for the presents." She added, still not looking at him. "I'm going to go to bed. You should too. You can walk back to your rooms, right?"

Still, there was no answer.

"Okay." She nodded, pretending that he had replied. "Well then, good night."

She hurried away from the pagoda as fast as her feet could carry her, not daring to turn back. Her cheeks were on fire, her breaths coming all too short for her liking.

It was a long time before Naruto could stir himself to move from where he was. His eyes were glued to the palace where Ayame had disappeared to. Seized with a sudden weariness, he rested his head against his hands and sighed.

He looked down.

A few leaflets of paper lay on the pagoda floor and when he turned them over, he discovered them to be drawings that Ayame had left. Tiredly, he passed them one after the other, recognising Sai's handiwork and half-heartedly appreciating his friend's talent. He ruefully smiled at the dragonheads that decorated his palace's roof and was about to gather them up to return to Ayame when he came upon the last sketch.

His heart stopped.

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From the shadows, Hanzei's cold grey eyes watched Naruto from the safe distance at Earthly Tranquility.

Behind him stood his own personal Hyuuga ANBU guards. They waited in obedient silence as he remained under the palace eaves and continued to observe.

Finally, Hanzei spoke.

"It would seem Takemaru has misled me." He stated to the air. "The Hokage's attentions are far more strayed than I thought."

The guards said nothing.

Hanzei glanced behind him to see the magnificent palace that he had built for Hinata. Over the years, he had filled her rooms with glittering treasures and dressed her in the finest clothes in a costly effort to entice Naruto. He had advised her on what to do, encouraged her when she faltered, and pushed for results. Still, no matter what jewels he placed in her hair or wisdom he imparted to her ears, the Hokage maintained a polite distance.

Hanzei was no fool. He knew indifference when he saw it. On the surface, Naruto paid Hinata every courtesy and respect due to her. But there was little love and affection. Hinata was not the only one was disappointed, that was for certain. It would make things all the more difficult to sway and bend the Seventh to will of the Hyuuga.

It was an insult to the clan's honour for the Hokage to bestow more to a healer than to his own betrothed in whose veins ran the noblest of blood.

Hanzei turned from the garden, prompting his guards to stand at attention.

"Summon the daimyo members that are loyal to us. Have them meet me at my office." He commanded quietly. "We will need to act fast before the Seventh does…."


	9. Broken

Racing back to Heavenly Purity, Naruto stormed down the corridor with the sketch in hand and burst into his chambers.

With a keen sense of purpose, he went over to his desk and whipped open one of the top drawers. His hands shook as they rifled through an assortment of outdated files and miscellaneous items. Papers flew out as he cast them aside in his frenzied search until at last he found what he was looking for.

The photograph.

It was worn and faded around the edges, having been held many times. It was of Kakashi, himself, Sasuke, and….

He stared at the guileless, smiling girl in the picture. Slowly, he brought out the other sketch of Ayame into view and compared the images side-by-side. The resemblance was not perfect but the features were undoubtedly the same. They had the same nose, the same lips.

Naruto's breath caught in his throat.

He laid the images on the desk and slumped back into a chair, bewildered. This _could not_ be real. How was this possible?

 _It's not,_ his brain wearily thought, _she's dead! She's been dead for so long._

As if to answer, his mind flashed backwards to Gaara who had commented on Ayame's appearance. It wasn't a lie. The likeness was there.

For a long time, Naruto couldn't sleep.

No matter how many times he closed his eyes and waited for his mind to be dragged into some blank dream, the chance never came. Instead, he paced back and forth in his room, assailed with a frightening confusion like he'd never known before.

He had seen the dead rise once. A long time ago, in a war-torn wasteland where he encountered some... _thing..._ that bore the face and personality of his father. But it was only a corporeal shade and it was obvious. With Ayame, it was different. She looked and felt so _real._ Everything about her was lifelike. If she was Sakura, why hadn't she said anything? Why did she have a different name and going about the village under an assumed identity? Why? Had something or someone brought her back from the grave?

Naruto's hands clenched into fists.

An uneasy discomfort settled about him now. There were only a handful of people in the world capable of such power. Could it have been….? His shook his head at the thought.

He wanted nothing more than to run to Ayame's room, wake her up, and demand an explanation from her. He did not care what the servants would think if they saw him with her at this hour or what they'd say about it afterwards. He needed answers and he would get them now.

He went for the doors and was about to pull them away when an attack of conscience overcame him. What good would it do if he were to wake her? She'd think he had gone mad and would have every reason not to cooperate with him. His hand relaxed and fell down. With enormous difficulty, he forced himself to not call for the Pavilion guard. Instead, he waited for the sun to rise. He would let her sleep and have one more night.

Just one.

By morning, the first thing Naruto did was to instruct his retainers that Ayame was to be brought to him at once. When Takemaru came to his room, he dismissed him right away, stating that he wanted an audience alone with Ayame.

"Alone?" Takemaru repeated in alarm.

"I have to talk to her."

"But—" Takemaru sputtered. "—you're supposed to have brunch with Hinata-sama this morning at her palace—"

"Cancel it."

"Hokage-sama, _you_ were the one who agreed—"

"I'll explain later but I need you to cancel it." Naruto said in an unusually strained voice. He looked at his assistant with pleading in his eyes.

Takemaru gazed after him. Unnerved, he nodded and withdrew from Naruto's chamber to head straightaway to Earthly Pavilion in order to offer up apologies.

Nervously, Naruto waited for Ayame. He frequently glanced at the screen doors, wondering when they would slide open. Different thoughts shot across his mind. Questions were threatening to burst from his lips. He could feel acute pressure and rage rise within his every step as he paced around. More than once, he had to stop himself to calm down. It would do no good to start off angry, he reminded himself. He had to be focused, emotionless even.

The panel doors opened.

When he turned around to see Ayame step into his room, he forgot all about restraint.

"What's wrong?" She asked without preamble as she headed straight towards him. "Are you not feeling well?" She glanced at the bed and noticed it hadn't been slept in. "Did you rest last night?"

"I need to know." His voice sounded horribly strangled.

"Know what?"

"Where….are you from?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Answer me…." his body was shaking now. "Where are you from?"

She stared at him. "I told you, the Hidden Moon Village temple. You know this."

"No, where were you before then?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" He repeated in disbelief.

"I don't know because I can't remember. I was told I was born somewhere far from the temple and then given to Lady Asagao so that my life could be dedicated to the gods' service." She said although there was a noticeable air of recitation to it as though she had been instructed to say this.

"Why can't you remember?!" demanded Naruto much to Ayame's alarm.

"Because," she explained as steadily as she could, "when someone is brought into the novitiate, they undergo a sealing ceremony that removes our memories. It's done because we have to let go of all mortal ties in order to be washed clean of sin and serve as vessels."

"What does that even mean? Is it…" he cast around looking for the right words. "D'you have what...a….some kind of seal then? Is that what they do at the temple?"

"Yes."

"Well then break it!"

"I can't. I….I don't know how." Ayame was flustered at her own uncertainty. This was not the first time she had contemplated on removing the seal. Only Lady Asagao's warning had stopped her, telling her in irrefutable terms that it was impossible to break.

"But you had parents!" Naruto persisted. "You had a family once, didn't you? D'you remember _anything_ about them? Their names? Their faces?"

"What is this about—"

"Do you remember where you lived before the temple?"

"I just told you, I can't!" Ayame replied, moved to frustration herself.

"Your name? Can you remember your old name?" Naruto was agitated. "Is there anything from your past life that you can think back on? Your old village? Your country? Your friends? Was _I_ —" he pounded a fist against his chest in a desperate gesture to himself. "—was I in it? Do you recognise me?"

Bewildered, Ayame watched him in trepidation as he walked over to her and thrust a pair of images before her. One was an aged photograph and the other was her portrait that Sai had drawn. When she caught sight of the girl in the photograph, she understood at once. The papers violently trembled in Naruto's hand as he lowered them to the desk, never taking his eyes away from their subject that stood before him in stony silence.

"Are you her?" He whispered when he couldn't hold back anymore. "Are you really….Sakura?"

He took a step forward, even as he felt his head reeling in shock. It was costing him every ounce of effort not to throw himself at her. The distance he had maintained was growing shorter into a dangerous closeness as he approached.

"Naruto." The girl spoke as his heart was giving out. Then her voice dwindled into a soft, sad tone. "I'm not her."

"No." But even as he said this, Naruto's voice shook. It had to be a mistake. She looked _so much_ like Sakura, there was no way she couldn't be anyone else. Surely she was wrong. She had to be. Drawing himself up and gathering the last of his hopes into him, he said, "You don't know what you're saying."

"Neither do you." Ayame replied gently as she laid him low.

A terrible panic rose within him. "You said it yourself that your name isn't real. So why can't you be her?"

"Because I'm not. I never was."

"But—"

"You and I have worked together to unlock your chakras. You felt mine and I felt yours. Was there ever a time when you sensed that it was Sakura's?"

A thought as cold and rigid as a winter icicle awoke him with chilling clarity. It had been years since he had sensed Sakura's chakra; his memory was but a pale shadow to the actual thing. It was rich and complex with a strong, earthy undertone. He had felt the energy core in Sakura's every healing touch and could recognise it's tethering bind, a seemingly unbreakable force that could willfully push a person edging at death's door away into life.

But Ayame's was nothing like that.

Hers was, for lack of a better word, muted. It lacked the vibrancy and depth that had distinguished Sakura's.

"Do you see now?" Ayame said quietly, seeing the realisation in Naruto's face as plain as day. At that moment, she wished she had never entered Konoha. If only she had stayed behind at the temple and let Namiko go instead. She would never have felt this awful sadness within her or come to know such joy, such pleasure. To think that she had been wanted, beyond her capacity as a healer, by someone else. To be loved as a person.

But not in the way she had hoped.

"But you look like her!" Naruto protested.

Ayame could only gaze after him. She wanted him to think of herself. To love her as the person she was, not Sakura.

"Only in appearance, maybe." She acknowledged in a pained voice. "But you're mistaking me for someone else."

"I can't be." He vehemently shook his head and suddenly, without thinking, he crossed over to her in two steps and seized her hand in his.

His touch was electrifying.

Almost immediately, Ayame stepped away only to have him pull her close to him. Keeping her hand locked with his right, his left rose to cradle her cheek against its steel palm. The edge of his thumb hovered above her eye as the veil and wimple slid along the back of his metallic fingers.

He lowered his head so that their foreheads gently met and closed his eyes at the touch.

Her legs felt as though they were made of lead. She could not move...nor did she want to. It was never so clear to her until this moment that she could _never_ see this man again. What she was doing crossed the lines of propriety and duty to which she was honour-bound. He would ruin her and she would do the same to him. There was no allowance for people like _that_ in a world that cherished loyalty above all things. Loyalty to the village, to one's clan, to one's family.

So instead she looked, she watched, memorising each of his features so that when she left, she would be able to remember everything about him when she was gone. His smell, his beautiful hair, the warmth of his skin, the contrasting touch of his hands. Metal and flesh. Heat and cool. It was almost cruel, obscene even, for the gods to decree that this had to be sacrificed for the sake of enlightenment.

"Tell me who you are." There was a desperation in his voice. " _Please._ Tell me that I'm right."

In some selfish part of herself, Ayame wanted to. She wanted to say: yes, I am the girl you think I am but she knew it wasn't true. She had no memory of her past and no ties to Konoha. The only thing linking her back to Sakura was a physical resemblance and nothing more. A relationship was supposed to be made and based on stronger stuff than that.

"I'm not." Ayame whispered. A tear ran down and slid towards Naruto's thumb.

He did not break away, at least not immediately. Slowly, his eyes opened and when they held her fast, she could see a blue haze of sheer pain.

First, he drew back and as he did, his hand slid down against her shoulder and finally fell away in defeat.

"I'm sorry…." Her throat was so tight that she could barely speak. She did not know which was more hurtful to see: his despair or his resignation.

"Go." His voice was hollow.

For once, she obeyed. Taking the rest of the drawings with her, she turned away, careful to hide the tears that ran down her face as she slipped out.

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He stood in the semi-darkness of his chambers, neither going forward nor back.

He was not much aware of the present either.

Ghosts from the past revolved around his mind, each one demanding him to get up and do something. He felt listless, like a dead horse that everyone kept beating down with words. He wanted to get out of this room, he really did, but a cold weight seemed to keep him glued to the floor. A part of him wanted to fight it off but the other half desired nothing more than to surrender and sink into it. His future was a question mark and the only certainty he had was that Hinata was to be his wife.

 _My wife._

The permanency of the title struck him powerfully.

" _Being a husband,"_ Kakashi-sensei had once said, " _is one of the hardest jobs you'll ever do in your life."_

" _You're not even married!"_ Naruto remembered retorting back to which Kakashi had merely smiled.

" _And why do you think that is?"_ The Sixth's reply echoed, it's sardonicness rippling across Naruto's conscience.

It had occurred to Naruto that he had never asked Kakashi about his past, particularly about any lost loves his teacher once cherished. The subject was so personal that he didn't think to bring it up and he had sensed it was painful for Kakashi to speak of. But in all the time they had known each other, they had not once discussed love or marriage beyond a handful of opinionated statements.

Love. It was considered a liability, even a detrimental weakness by some nations. But none could deny that it was a force to be reckoned with. It had the power to bring even the most formidable ninja to their knees and cause a profound, irrevocable change. But it's loss could also serve as a terrible fuel for destruction. He had seen it firsthand with Obito and to some extent, Sasuke.

When Sakura died, he finally understood the rage they had felt when their loved ones had been taken from them. The moment the earth had closed over her open grave, the agony that followed was excruciating. He even sympathised with Obito a little. He found himself wanting to tear down the sun and moon from the skies just for _one_ more day, another moment with her.

But his enemy had been death. Her life was taken naturally, peacefully even. There was no one to fight over or take vengeance on. He didn't know whether or not he would have preferred a tangible adversary, someone to hunt down and bring to justice. Instead, he was left to linger on with only memories to hold on to.

Except….

Naruto turned to the desk to see that Ayame's portrait had been left behind. The photograph of Team 7 lay obscured in the shadows. He laid a hand on the sketched cheek, tracing out the graceful smile that curved across the lips. He looked up to see the doors where she had gone.

Resolved, he called for Sai.

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"...I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

"Get Sakura's autopsy report and her health records from the hospital. All of it, even the ones from when she was little."

For a fraction of a second, Sai's impassive mask slipped off to reveal a look of surprise. Immediately, he sobered up and gave a silent nod of acknowledgement.

"Something's not making sense to me." Naruto looked down to Ayame's portrait. "I just….I need to know. I have to be sure."

Sai lowered his head in understanding. He had long ago decided to trust Naruto and knew his faith had not been misplaced, no matter how farfetched the order seemed.

"One more thing."

"Yes?"

"Tell Sasuke that I want him to go to the borderland." Naruto lowered his voice. "I want him to visit his old teacher and ask a few questions. Don't go through the ANBU channels, keep this quiet."

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Ayame chose to spend her last week primarily at the Annex.

She took comfort in the pace and grind of clinical work. It helped dull the pain she felt and eased the horrible sense of loneliness to a level that she could bear.

She reasoned that the more she accustomed herself to her clinical duties, the easier it would be transition back to the temple when she returned. There, life was so much simpler. She and the other novices depended on nothing but themselves, the sun, and the gods. Her life would be dominated in routines of prayer, work, and service.

The seasons would dictate her customs. In the spring and summer, she would heal. In the fall, she would harvest the gardens just like everybody else. In the winter, she would reflect and practice through martial art forms although no one at the temple used them. At least not in practice.

The refugees took the news of Ayame's departure stoically. She had promised that she would send other novices from the temple to tend to the clinic in rotations. She was confident that Lady Asagao would consent to this, for although the priestess was strict, she was someone who did not turn away those in need.

It was the children who gave her some semblance of joy. They loved the drawings she could brought them and couldn't wait to colour them in with the pencils she had given.

"Where's Naruto? Is he here?" One of the girls asked in a bright voice. She eagerly looked behind the healer for him. Her excitement unexpectedly pricked at Ayame's heart.

"Not today, Mina." Ayame answered in a gentle voice.

"Will he come back?"

Ayame's throat tightened. Smiling, she instead took Mina's hand and guided her back with the rest of the little ones. Once she ensured they were happily distracted, she went back to look after her adult patients.

Although the conditions at the Annex had steadily improved and they were not lacking in food or shelter, the refugees were clearly frustrated at being kept on the beach. They were tired, they told Ayame, of waiting. They wanted to enter Konoha, become citizens, and resume normal lives as quickly as possible. They wanted to farm again, to sell, to buy, to participate.

To make matters worse, there had been a series of deaths. A half dozen elderly refugees had passed away and the baby girl that Ayame had delivered only a few weeks before had suddenly died. She found the mother, prostrate with grief and on her knees, sobbing.

Rushing over to her, Ayame grasped the mother from behind and held her close.

"My child." The mother keened as she gripped onto Ayame's forearm. "My child, Lady, my child…."

"I am so sorry." Ayame murmured, comfortingly stroking her hair.

It was a long time before Ayame could get the mother to stand and lead her to a bed. With the help of the ANBU guards, she guided the mother to lie down. She sat with her patient, examining her chest in a quiet, gentle, but efficient manner. She did not know what to say. No words could alleviate the pain of losing a child. The loss of someone so young and innocent was all the more tragic; it would not be easy to forget this. Vaguely, she thought of Naruto and felt a modicum of sympathy for him. He too had been unable to let go.

"I'm going to get you some salts." Ayame said softly. "It will help dry up your milk and prevent any sores from developing."

The mother did not respond and lay in grief-stricken stupor.

Ayame rose from the bedside and left the tent to retrieve the mineral salts when she found a group of men waiting outside for her.

"This is all Konoha's fault." One of them got to the point at once. "That child would've lived had we been allowed into the village. She would've gotten to a hospital and been in a safe home instead of a beach!"

"Enough." Ayame coldly rebuked him. "Do not use that baby's death to further your cause. Can't you see that her family is in mourning? Leave them be."

"That baby would've lived if Konoha granted us amnesty at the very beginning!" The man snapped.

Immediately, Ayame sensed something was off. She carefully observed the other men's faces and saw the same anger mirrored back.

"I don't know what happened to the baby. She was born healthy." She tried to explain in a calm, low voice. "Her mother was a good caregiver and as far as I can tell, the baby wasn't harmed. Sometimes, these kinds of deaths happen and it's difficult to determine what the reason is."

"Winter is coming, we can't stay on the Annex forever." Another said.

"Please, Ayame-sama." Someone else pleaded. "Speak with the Hokage. Tell him that we must be allowed into Konoha."

"I am only his doctor." Ayame placatingly held up her hand to stem the entreaties. "You have to understand that I have no say in my position. What the village does is entirely dependent on its people, the Hokage, and their council."

"You're with the Hokage almost every day, milady!" The first man protested. "You're at the Pavilion and attend to him all the time. You _must_ say something to him! Tell him we need to be taken in! We have nowhere else to go. Our own villages were destroyed in the war, there's nothing there for us anymore."

"The Seventh understands that you are frustrated. He has been doing what he can to ensure that all of you are fed and housed." Ayame replied calmly. "It will take some time for Konoha to prepare to welcome and grant you citizenship. He and the other kages were unable to decide on a resolution for you. Perhaps the next summit will yield better results."

"By which time, we'll starve or be dead!" The man spat in disgust. "He is the most powerful leader in the world and yet you're telling us that he can't do much for us."

"The Hokage," Ayame said in a firm voice, "is beholden to his people first and foremost. He cannot simply act on his own without taking into consideration what effect it will have on his country. Surely you can understand. You must be patient."

"Patient." The man scoffed. "Such a thing does not exist, milady, when one is starving and running from danger."

"But you're not in the water nation anymore." Ayame pointed out. "You are safe here."

"For now." The man darkly replied.

Weary, Ayame chose not to answer. Instead, she turned and slipped back into the tent, not wanting to further engage herself.

For the rest of the day, she kept to the clinic. Whenever someone approached her about the Seventh, she deflected their questions and shifted her attentions back to her patients. But as she went about, her mind kept drifting to Naruto.

How could she face him now? It wasn't that she had lost her courage. It was her credibility that had been shot. She, a temple maiden, had transgressed. There was nothing in this world that she could claim for her own.

Even if she wanted to.

Closing her eyes, she took a breath and steeling herself, she bent her down and returned to her work.

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On what was to be Ayame's last day, although he did not know it, Naruto tried to speak to her but met little success in doing so.

He would find her rooms empty and belatedly discover she was at the Annex. By the time he got there, she somehow managed to get away before his arrival. When he returned to the Pavilion, he still couldn't find her and even after sending Takemaru, his frazzled assistant would come back saying that she was busy at the library or that she had gone out into the village.

Frustrated, he planted himself squarely at her bedroom door and refused to leave until she arrived. When Takemaru heard of this absurd plan, it took him almost an hour to convince Naruto that he couldn't possibly wait for her this way.

"You have a defence meeting with the ANBU first-rank captains." Takemaru reproached. "Also, Hanzei-sama has requested that you see him at the Hall. Your presence is expected."

"I don't get this, where the hell could this girl be?!" Naruto suddenly snapped. "There are hundreds of guards in the Pavilion and _none_ of them can tell me when they last saw her?"

Takemaru shook his head. "Hokage-sama, I've told you multiple times: Ayame-san is at the Annex clinic. She is extremely busy these days."

"Well she's my healer, isn't she? So why isn't she where she's supposed to be?" demanded Naruto.

" _You're_ the one who let her treat the refugees in the first place." Takemaru sighed. "If you wish to postpone the defence meeting, you can, but you need to meet with Hanzei-sama. It's urgent."

Naruto threw him an ill-disguised look of impatience. "What for? What he does he want now?"

"I don't know." Takemaru truthfully answered. "But you _cannot_ miss it."

"He never meets me in the Hall." Naruto remarked as he rose from the floor. "He didn't say anything else?"

"No."

"Fine." Naruto briskly sped up his pace. He reckoned the sooner he met with Hanzei, the quicker he could get it out of the way and return to waiting for Ayame later.

Takemaru followed closely behind him at his heel and when they stepped outside into the outer court, to their surprise, they found Hinata and Hanabi approaching them. A small entourage of lesser Hyuuga female relatives and their maids accompanied her, keeping a modest distance of a few paces in between.

"Naruto." Hinata smiled as she walked up to him. "I'm so glad to see you, I was just taking my sister and cousins to see our great-uncle."

"You're all seeing him today too?" Naruto blinked in confusion."I thought the meeting was between me and him?" He looked to Takemaru for confirmation but received a blank stare of incomprehension in return.

He turned to back to Hinata. Almost immediately, he noticed that she was dressed much more fancifully than usual. She was wearing pale lilac robes woven with silver embroidery and bejeweled in diamonds. A beautiful circlet of moonstones and opals graced her lovely purple hair, giving her a regal look. Hanabi looked equally beautiful in a matching outfit although hers was in sky blue and her own diadem was smaller than her sister's.

A faint blush crept to Hinata's cheeks when she saw how intently Naruto was looking at her.

"My great-uncle asked that we wear our best robes." She said shyly.

"You look beautiful as always." Naruto gave what he hoped was a winsome smile. "Both of you." He looked to Hanabi who was quietly watching him. Her opalescent eyes lowered in a polite but demure greeting to her future brother-in-law.

In all the years that he had known Hinata, he was not particularly close to Hanabi. The younger heiress-apparent was even more reserved and possessed a markedly grave demeanour. A smile or laugh was easy to coax out of Hinata but it was like pulling teeth with Hanabi. Instead, Hanabi's greatest pleasures seem to lie in solitude, reading, or carrying out managerial tasks for the clan with quiet efficiency.

It hadn't taken Naruto very long to realise that Hanabi preferred to be left to her own devices and it was easy to respect that decision. His responsibilities had increased over the years to such an extent that he rarely saw her or her sister as often as he should have.

"Since we're all here anyway, why don't we walk up there together?" suggested Hinata.

"Of course." He graciously offered his arm.

Their promenade progressed in content silence as they made their way to the Hall of Supreme Harmony where Hanzei awaited them.

Every once in a while, Hinata's cousins would sneak a smile with one another. They were pleased at how well the Seventh and his betrothed were getting on these days. What a splendid pair they made, they thought. Yes, their lady was much more suitable than that upstart healer Minamoto Ayame.

The thought of that disgraceful novice was enough to earn the cousins' contempt.

They were loudly vocal in their disagreement whenever someone mentioned Ayame. They confided in one another when the rumours were going around about her and the Hokage and bore silent, sympathetic witness to Hinata's quiet distress over the matter. They saw how lonely she was in her gorgeous rooms, how little pleasure she took in her day-to-day activities because she wasn't in Naruto's company. They pitied her greatly and loved her for her gentleness; it made them all the more protective of her.

None of the Hyuuga cousins could understand what on earth Naruto saw in that healer of his.

So it was that when they saw a distant figure clothed in grey and white, they immediately stopped walking.

Their eyes narrowed.

It was _her._

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The final morning that Ayame spent in her room was a quiet one.

The last of her medicine kits had been given away and the linens were all packed. The manuscript lay in it's lacquered box on the desk like an unwrapped, delicate cake of yellowed pages. Stray rays of afternoon sunlight streaked the sheets of the empty, clean bed in slanted gold lines.

A neatly written letter addressed to Takemaru had been placed on the desk's gleaming wooden surface. The explanation was short and polite; it neither revealed nor suggested anything as she intended. There was nothing for Naruto, not even a formal goodbye. She had wasted so much parchment and ink on trying to think of what to say that in the end, she decided it would be best to say nothing at all. That, she tried to justify herself, was the discreet thing to do.

Even if she was running away like a thief into the night.

Ayame stood for a moment in her empty bedroom and took in the scene. Unlike most travelers, she would not be departing with souvenirs but would arrive at the temple empty-handed. Yet she carried a far greater weight within. She had changed and perhaps not for the better. She found herself _wanting._ To receive, to give, to cherish….to _him._

She tensed up.

There was nothing she could do or say to change the reality. She did not even dare try. His body legally belonged to one but his heart? That was an entirely different matter and Ayame knew it wasn't hers.

Sakura….she had heard about the girl so often now that it was impossible not to think of her these days. In the spare quiet moments she had, she wondered what it would be like if she really was her. All that she knew of the girl was from village gossip and personal descriptions given by friends. The result was a complicated, if not incomplete, picture.

By all accounts, Sakura had been a difficult child prone to fits and did not get on easy with her peers. Time and life experience had reformed her into a beautiful teenager who had acquired worldly knowledge and seriousness. Her strength was admirable, her intelligence perceptive. Yet Ayame wished she knew more about the girl's personality in the hope that she could understand what it was about her that Naruto loved. How had this creature make such a powerful and permanent impact on him after all this time?

 _If only he could see me for who I was,_ Ayame ruefully thought to herself, _instead of who I ought to be._

Strong, beautiful, brave.

She wished she were that. But temple maidens were not supposed to be. Gentle, humble, gracious was the motto for a servant of the gods. It was an unsuitable disposition to have for a queenly position as the Hokage's wife. Unwillingly, she thought of Hinata. The heiress was rich, fair, and powerful. A much more attractive prospect for a kage.

Stepping out of her chamber, Ayame turned around to slide the panels after her. She swept past the corridor, admiring the detailed woodwork and priceless artefacts for what would be the last time. When she bypassed the ornate panels that led to Naruto's rooms, she bade a silent goodbye.

From the inner courtyard, she walked to the outer wings of the Pavilion. She paused at the kitchens to thank the chefs before asking them for one last favour. Gratified by her flattery, they happily acquiesced to her request for extra sweets and brought her a few boxes of specially made treats that she intended to give to Namiko.

Carefully placing them in a silk bag, Ayame thanked them again and continued her progress to reach the main gates when—

"Ayame?"

She turned and to her chagrin, she saw Naruto walking arm-in-arm with Hinata and a clutch of ladies trailing them. Careful not to betray herself, she smiled and lowered her head.

"A pleasure to see you, my lady." Ayame addressed Hinata, avoiding looking at Naruto. She glanced at the girl's finery. "You look lovely. Are you going out to the village tonight?"

"You're too kind." Hinata cheerfully accepted the compliment despite her ladies glowering at Ayame. Hanabi too was staring at her. "We were on our way to the Hall to see my great-uncle. What about you? Are you going to the Annex again?"

"I was on my way to the gates." Ayame continued the pleasantries. _Keep smiling. Be polite._ "A carriage is waiting for me to take me back to my temple."

"WHAT?!" Naruto's voice scalded the air, startling Hinata and the other women. Never good at concealing his emotions, he was horrified.

"It is time for me to go." Ayame remained resolutely courteous as though she hadn't heard him.

"On whose orders?" he demanded.

"Naruto," Hinata laid a calming hand on his arm, "please. You shouldn't yell at Ayame-san."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. He advanced toward the healer, prompting Hinata to let go and watch him in confusion and dismay. Hanabi continued to remain silent although she continued to observe the Hokage and the novice with marked interest.

"By your leave, my lady." Ayame bade Hinata farewell and spared Naruto a cursory nod. "Seventh."

She turned to go, determined to walk out of the Pavilion with grace and dignity when she suddenly felt her wrist being seized. Her mouth fell open in shock. "What—?"

"Naruto!" Hinata called after him in alarm.

"Stay where you are." Ayame heard Naruto say.

With propelling force, he pulled her aside, away from the courtyard and stormed off into the middle of a deserted clearing with her in tow. When he was sure that they were alone, he let go of her hand and rounded on her.

"Just where d'you think you're going?"

Ayame's eyes hit the ground, unwilling to look at him. She _would not_ give him the satisfaction of seeing her in any kind of distress. It would only make him do something reckless. Then again, she didn't know if she could trust herself either.

"You need to return to Lady Hinata. Her great-uncle is expecting both of you." Ayame answered evenly. "You shouldn't keep her waiting."

"Why—are—you—going?" Naruto thundered.

"I have to."

"No, you don't!"

"Yes, I do. I don't belong—"

"The agreement was for you to stay until you finished unlocking all seven chakras!" He snapped. "You've only done five! That's two more to go! Besides, what about the refugees? Or did you forget about them too?"

Ayame was stung. "Consider the deal reneged." She said in a low voice. "You don't owe my temple anything. I told the refugees that I would send other novices to them as soon as I return. As for your chakras, you can have another healer complete the process. You don't need me."

"That's my call, not yours!"

She finally looked up to reply. "You're the one who told me not to get close to you!"

"I never told you to go far away from me either!" Naruto shouted.

A silence descended upon them in the wake of this outburst. Naruto's breaths were coming up short and hard. He was furious. He didn't have the faintest idea where she came up with this nonsense and was determined to stop her. She was so _irritating—_ so stubborn and determined to do things her way. Whatever he could say to persuade her, it wouldn't work would it? She had already made up her mind. He could see that.

Then he realised it wasn't that he was angry. He was frightened. Worse yet, of losing her.

So what kind of man did that make him now?

"You were right about me." He could not look away from her green gaze. He didn't want to. "I'm mistaking you for someone else. The truth is, I honestly don't know what to make of you. But until I can figure it out….I need you to stay." He stepped forward to grip her shoulders. "Please."

"You don't know what you're asking of me." She moved to break away but he held her fast.

"I'm going to break off the engagement."

Ayame felt as though the ground had slipped under her feet. She blinked, momentarily robbed of speech. This was _not_ happening.

"You can't." She shook her head. " _You musn't_."

"It's not right for me to continue like this with Hinata. Not with everything else that's going on."

"She loves you."

"You don't think I know that?" Naruto bit out. "It's hard on me too, okay? But I have to do it because it's the right and honest way."

" _No!_ " Ayame was now terrified. "No, you don't know what you're saying."

"This is my mistake, it's not yours." Naruto said fiercely. "Whatever happens afterwards, it'll be all on me. It has to be. It was my fault for asking her to marry me in the first place." He clenched his fist as the words were wrenched from him. "Instead of waiting for you."

Ayame's bag of sweets dropped to the ground.

Her head was spinning like a top as tension reigned all over her body. She was so shell-shocked that she couldn't even spit out a sentence let alone a word. Her heart violently beat against her chest as it was brought to exhilarating heights. _He loves….me? Me?_

Yet the high was tempered with a crushing low. He was going to break his engagement? Give up a Hyuuga princess in exchange for a lowly novice with no title or gold to her name? This marriage was an alliance; a unity of political strength for a village still recovering from war. The cost of its failure was immeasurable and she was all too well-aware of the ramifications. His title could be strpped, Hinata's heart broken.

 _He could lose everything,_ Ayame's brain dawned with horror. _Being a Hokage is so important to him….I can't….I can't let him do this!_

"Hokage-sama." They both turned to see Takemaru dashing up to them. Breathless, he stopped just in time to deliver his message. "You're late, you have to come with me immediately."

Naruto glanced at Ayame. "Can I see you after?"

"Hokage-sama." Takemaru repeated with a bite of impatience in his voice. " _Now."_

"Please, Ayame."

"All right." She managed to whisper, not wanting him to delay anymore. "I will but you have to go."

Not bothering to hide his relief, Naruto nodded and strode off with Takemaru into the Hall leaving her alone in the courtyard. She felt dazed and worn out, as though she had been a ship tossed and turn about a tempestuous sea. Hope strained by guilt surged through her. Had the gods listened to her secret wishes after all? Slowly, she picked up her bag and made her way to the Pavilion gates.

It should not have taken her that long to reach the carriage but when Ayame stepped into the outer courtyard, she found it packed to the seams with people.

Everyone from the daimyo, the ranked nin, to old chef Teuchi were all there. A steady buzz of human conversation kept the Pavilion court alive with noise. It had not escaped her notice that many of them were looking at the balcony from the Hall in expectation, where a sextet of ANBU guards were quietly pacing around. A regal red banner hung from the balcony's edge, bearing the Konoha crest in blazing gold thread.

 _They must be waiting for Naruto and Hinata,_ Ayame guessed. Still, she could not figure out why Hanzei needed the entire village for an audience. Puzzled, she turned to the nearest person next to her.

"What's going on?" She asked.

The man shrugged. "Dunno. We all got an announcement that there was going to be a meeting of some kind at the Pavilion."

Ayame glanced at the balcony again. Then, as the window-paned doors opened, she felt and heard the crowd move towards the Hall. Excited murmurs broke out amongst them and a cheer rose up when Naruto and Hinata stepped out into view followed by Hanzei.

To compound her confusion, Naruto looked anything but pleased. She noticed him throwing harried, dark looks at Hanzei's way and could even see his left hand balling into a fist at times.

"What's the meaning of this?" Naruto turned to Hanzei as soon as he took in the scope of the crowd. "Why'd you call the entire village?"

"For a show of unity, Hokage-sama." Hanzei answered. "We need it now more than ever in the wake of foreign migrants invading our lands."

"Well since you've called everyone here, I have something to say to them." Naruto approached the balcony's edge only to be stopped by Hanzei's halting hand on his shoulder.

"Allow me, Seventh." Hanzei overrode. "I find that we have some pressing matters to attend to first before your announcement. May I?" Unsmiling, he advanced forward and raised both his arms in a calming gesture to ask for silence.

When the villagers fell quiet, he lowered his hands and placed them on the marble rail. Surveying the massive flock of people, he opened his mouth and spoke in a loud, clear voice that rang throughout the Pavilion courtyard.

"Konoha," he addressed, "you have toiled long and hard these past eight years. Because of your collective efforts, we are now one of the wealthiest and stable countries in the world!"

A resounding roar greeted Hanzei's words. Signalling them to still their cries, he continued.

"None of us in the council can ignore nor deny such hardworking citizens of what is rightfully theirs. It is you who earned this peace and it should be you who enjoys its rewards. For so long, we have focused on our survival and maintaining neutrality in these conflict-ridden times. There has been little occasion for joy and merriment."

He paused and allowed himself a grim smile.

"But it is my pleasure to tell you, Konoha, that such a day has come at last. With great pride, I wish to announce that my dear great-niece Lady Hinata of the Hyuuga clan is to wed the Seventh Hokage this Saturday!" Hanzei proclaimed.

Naruto's jaw dropped.

Hinata gasped and immediately covered her mouth with her hands as she stared after her great-uncle.

There were marked signs of confusion from the crowd as though they had not understood what had just been said. Then someone started cheering and another was clapping. Gradually, the scattered applause grew to include hundreds, thousands, drawing a thunderous reception accented by screams of delight. As they cheered, thrilled and buoyed by the prospect of a royal wedding, they failed to notice Naruto whipping around to face Hanzei.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?!" Naruto shouted above the din, his outburst completely ignored and unheard by the massive crowd below. "You can't just—"

"If you are concerned about the logistics, I have already taken care of them." Hanzei interrupted smoothly amidst the applause. "The other four kages have already been summoned, they are to arrive in two days time. The Pavilion household is aware and have made preparations. I will make sure that Konoha's citizens are to be given wine and food for their commemorations."

Naruto was aghast. "You did _what?_ "

Helplessly, Hinata turned to Hanzei. "Uncle, it's true, Naruto and I agreed to get married in the fall—" she began only to be cut off.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" Hanzei brusquely asked.

"Yes but—but—" Hinata was struggling for an adequate reply to convey her feelings.

"You are twenty-five years old already, much older than most brides." Hanzei noted in a cruel, matter-of-fact fashion. "The chances of you bearing a healthy heir grow slimmer by the year and if you delay any further, you will never be a mother. The First, Third, and Fourth Hokages' wives all bore children. Do you wish to be the singular exception?"

She coloured in embarrassment.

"This isn't how I wanted to announce the wedding." Naruto glowered, simultaneously incensed by Hanzei taking shots at Hinata and frustrated by her inability to protest.

"And yet, look how the people respond." Hanzei gestured to the jubilation below. His grey eyes however remained affixed on the Hokage. "I wonder if you were prepared for their outrage had you gone through with your original intent."

Naruto froze, realising at once something was wrong. There was a reason why Hanzei was conducting this horrific public display when he had never done so before. When he matched his furious gaze with the Hyuuga Elder, he saw it so very clearly: rage and displeasure.

"Did you honestly think," Hanzei lowered his voice, "that I wouldn't notice?" Pointedly, he turned his attention to a lone figure in the crowd.

Naruto's eyes went to where Hanzei was looking at and felt as though a bullet had struck him. There was Ayame. Even at this distance, he could see the profound sadness etched into her face. When their eyes finally met, she turned away with a slight shake of her head.

A shard of ice pierced Naruto's heart.

Hanzei's lips parted and in one swift moment, he gave a death sentence. " If you so much as _think_ of leaving Hinata , that girl _will_ pay for your mistake."

" _You son of a bitch!_ " Naruto breathed in outrage. As soon as the words left his mouth, he seized Hanzei's arm and gripped it into a painful hold. He could feel how thinly the flesh clung to the radius and ulna; the bone was fragile, he could snap it in half easily. He didn't care that this was an old man. There was no allowance for courtesy at this point.

"Remember where you are, Seventh." Hanzei murmured, not even perturbed by Naruto's reaction. The crowds were still going wild. "You are standing in front of the entire village. Your credibility is at stake. Kill me, you will prove to everyone that you are indeed the monster that we thought you were."

"Leave Ayame out of this." Naruto said in a dangerous voice. "I'm the one you're supposed to fight. Don't involve her."

"Will you continue putting that healer in harm's way then?" Hanzei's eyes menacingly flashed. "If not, you will proceed according to plan. Your engagement still stands and you will marry my great-niece."

Naruto hardened his gaze. "Why," he asked venomously, "does this matter so much to you?"

"Because I am giving Konoha what it deserves: stability and continuity." Hanzei responded. "I have lived through five kages, boy. For as long as I've lived, this village has known nothingbut war and devastation because the Hokages were more interested in acquiring more power for themselves. Our leaders never thought of promoting internal peace by ending the clan factions.

"That ends today. You are the last, legitimate heir of the Senju. Hinata is the Hyuuga heiress. Your marriage is the greatest embodiment of that goal. Through my house, we will govern Konoha and ensure its survival in the years to come."

"Your family," spat Naruto, "just buys up land without giving the villagers affordable housing, use the ministry money to get whatever they want, and steal every position they can get their hands on. And you call that 'stability'?"

"Your lack of foresight is woefully apparent. What proof do you have?" Hanzei responded with equal enmity. "The clans have always tried to gain central influence by marrying their daughters to the Hokage and maintaining a monopoly on regency positions. The First did not marry Lady Mito by accident. Neither did the Third or the Fourth. All of them chose their wives carefully and it wasn't for sentimental reasons. Besides, what better way to acquire power than by personally bonding yourself to a jinchuriki?"

"My father loved my mother!" Naruto said, furious.

"Your father only wanted to keep the Nine-Tails close to him." Hanzei icily replied. "He was not averse to using any tactic to make your mother believe in that lie and it worked well. You even believe it."

"What makes you think I'll listen to you?" Naruto's knuckles turned white as his nails dug into Hanzei's arm.

"Because if you don't, that wretched healer will suffer like no other." Hanzei savagely vowed. "No matter where she goes, I will find her. You may be a kage but you aren't omniscient, no, even _you_ have limits. I have seen you fail before and I can make that instance happen again.

"Besides," Hanzei's voice dropped to an ominous tone, "it's not just that girl's life at stake. It's Hinata's too."

Blood drained from Naruto's face. He stared after Hanzei as though he hadn't seen anything quite like him before. "...she's your great-niece. You want me to marry her so why're you threatening to kill your own relative?"

"You forget that Hisashi left behind two daughters." Hanzei quietly disdained. "Hinata's loss would be a pity but I can easily replace her with Hanabi as your bride. Either way, an alliance with the Hyuuga is inevitable. So consider Hinata as collateral damage if you don't follow through with what I say or you'll have more blood on your hands."

An unholy anger blazed within Naruto like tumultuous flames bursting into a terrible expanse. He stood there, locked between Hanzei and Hinata, realising what a mess he fell into. The roar of the populace was dully ringing in his ears and he was only vaguely aware that the entire village was watching him. All this time, he had believed himself to be a free entity but now he was no more free and in control of his actions than a pawn on a chessboard. He had tried to break away from the boundaries and for his move, he was going to be punished for it, Hanzei would see to that. And he would penalize _her…._ and Hinata…

Slowly, Hanzei removed himself from Naruto's grasp and lifted his withered, veined hand on the Hokage's shoulder in a mocking gesture of support. "Is that clear, Seventh?"

Inadvertently, Naruto's hands balled into fists.

"I can't hear you." Hanzei murmured.

"You'll never get away with this." Naruto spoke through clenched teeth.

Smiling, Hanzei turned to Hinata and in one smooth motion, he joined the couple hand-in-hand. At the sight, the people sent another high cheer.

Wordlessly, Naruto and Hinata looked down at them from their great height. The afternoon sun shone behind them, alighting their frames in golden light. Their friends were all shouting, laughing, clapping in happy acclaim.

But his eyes were elsewhere and as he searched through the crowds, they came to rest on a lone woman. He bore his gaze onto her as his hatred for himself rose to an unbearable zenith. Then as if to answer him, he saw Ayame turn away.

Resolutely, she walked from the courtyard, disappearing into the horde of villagers and finally vanishing out of his sight.


	10. The Seventh

**A/N:** Hi readers! As a warning: it is going to be dark for a while but there is a happy ending. Remember, it is always darkest before the dawn.

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Iruka was a man of reason but when it came to Naruto, people knew he was soft and damned him as a fool for it.

Too young to be a father figure, too old and too cautious to be a peer, he never knew where he stood when it came to the roles he was expected to play. Affection had blurred the boundaries long ago except one: that of an adviser.

As the sun set and the crowds at the Pavilion began to disperse, Iruka decided to act on a hunch. Taking a lesser-known pathway, he exited the village and went straight into the forest, guided only by sight and recognition of familiar trees. Every once in awhile, he had to stop and take a break before continuing onward, his knees not being as young as they once were.

When the tree trunks began to thin at last and gave way to a vast expanse of meadowland, he clopped his way through the maidengrass, getting his shoes slick with residual dew. The wind was breezy and untainted by human smells, enveloping him with a sense of calm. As he scanned the horizon, he brushed his hand along the the vegetation, letting his mind wander over the last eight years.

No one could have been happier than him the day Naruto gained his first victory and won wide acclaim. That esteem had risen to greater heights the moment Naruto triumphed in the war. But there were others whose fortunes became ascendant in the aftermath.

Iruka looked to the skies, failing to discern the stratosphere with a naked eye. He knew there was a limit there, somewhere, but could not see it. Just like the Hyuuga family, he thought. They were rising but to what point?

He had watched with measured trepidation as they quietly centralised their power in the wake of Tsunade's departure through a series of charitable, albeit calculated, gestures to support Konoha's economy. But their popularity had dipped by the time Kakashi retired because of their aggrandising. He thought they would go away then and diminish into the background as they always had in the past but he was mistaken. Rebuilding the Pavilion and giving up some of their lands for agrarian production had reclaimed some allowance of respect from the village. The clan's latest attempt in marrying their heiress to the popular Seventh seemed to have revitalised their public image. At least, the reception at the Pavilion's hall confirmed as much.

Yet Iruka knew that public adoration was tempered with conditionalities and often subject to whims. He had noted everything at the official announcement—Naruto's fury, Hanzei's coldness, Hinata's bewilderment, the look of devastation on Ayame's face.

In the back of his mind, Iruka had always known that Naruto was not _quite_ as ardent as he should have been towards Hinata. At first, he had attributed it to grief and assumed time would smooth things over. Then he thought it was because Naruto was just too busy as he moved through the ANBU ranks. When the engagement had been announced, instead of being thrilled, he was puzzled as to why Naruto had taken such a serious step forward when it appeared his attentions were waning.

After seeing Ayame, it all seemed to come together. He had heard the rumours of course but he knew what the living dead looked like and the girl was nothing of the sort. Still, any man with his wits about him could see the dangerous attraction between her and Naruto. He had looked for her after the wedding proclamation but she fled the Pavilion courtyard as if on wings and practically flew into her waiting carriage. He barely had a chance to catch a glimpse of her when the driver had flicked the reins and rushed her out of the streets.

He felt sorry for her, even worse for the Seventh.

Throwing one last look at the green edge of the forest, Iruka turned around to the meadowland when he caught sight of Shikamaru sitting cross-legged in the grass and absent-mindedly flicking his fingers against a stray piece of nutsedge. He didn't even look up as Iruka approached.

"Hey, Sensei."

"I'm surprised you're here." Iruka commented.

"Yeah, well, after what happened, I knew Naruto was going to do something stupid. I reckoned it'd be in all our interests to stop him before then." Shikamaru shrugged. In lazy abandon, he stretched out his arms behind him to meet the back of his head as he lay down and turned his face toward the autumn sky.

"You've….seen Naruto?" Iruka looked around expectantly.

"He's down there." Shikamaru jabbed a thumb to a low-lying valley below them. "I wouldn't get close to him just yet if I were you. He's angsting pretty hard."

As though to confirm Shikamaru's observation, Iruka suddenly felt a powerful invisible wave ripple through him. His heart sank, recognising the chakra signature. A sound like thunder rumbled in the distance and an overwhelming surge of energy erupted from the horizon. Lightning flashed and in their wake, searing hot flames lit the heavens. They roared into life, twisting and lashing out at the clouds like serpents hell-bent on devouring its prey. Ash and smoke flew up into the air.

A scream rose up, clamouring against the deafening explosions. The indigo in the sky had vanished. Flaming embers tumbled out of nowhere and haphazardly landed on a corner here, a tree there. They burst into a blaze, scorching everything in their path.

"How long has he been like this?" Iruka turned to Shikamaru in alarm.

"A couple hours." Came the indifferent reply.

"You've been here for that long?" Iruka sharply reproached.

"I'm keeping a safe distance, Sensei," answered Shikamaru. "I'd prefer to talk to him when he's calm, not when he's trying to destroy the planet."

The sky seemed to roar in assent.

Reluctantly, Iruka shifted his gaze to the inferno and tried to peer through the flames in the hope of catching a glimpse of Naruto but there was nothing to be seen.

Only red.

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" _ **Pathetic!"**_

Kyuubi spat in disgust as he bashed his paw against his prison gates. The bars rattled but remained in position, alive with the golden light that emitted from the Fourth's seal. An ever familiar, frustrated rage pervaded the chasm of Naruto's mind as Kyuubi paced around in his old prison. The emptiness was almost unbearable.

Deep within, Kyuubi had always known about the void. It had grown for some time, nursed by grief and desolation. There, a miserable darkness had thrived and when the barriers of self-restraint wore thin, the demon felt inspired to awake from its dormancy.

An inhuman howl arose from the silence, filling every corner of this imagined world with an unholy sense of terror. Through Naruto's eyes, Kyuubi could see the sky blacken. Acrid smoke floated towards the heavens in slow moving trails of white and all the fire that remained in the burnt grasslands suddenly lost their light.

" _ **You're a fool…"**_ snarled Kyuubi. _**"You should have taken that old sack of bones when you had the chance."**_

A whirlwind of chakra ringed in flames lashed out in all directions before collapsing away as Naruto slammed his fists into the scorched earth. The ground violently shook in the wake of the impact, creating a deep fissure almost a mile long.

He stared at the destruction before him and yet could hardly register the damage done. It was as if his senses had dulled. Slowly, he withdrew his hands. Flesh and metal came up together, mingled with blood and sweat. His forehead felt like it was on fire as a fever raged on. His joints were inflamed and all but screaming for respite.

The pain was punishing, cutting, but _not enough._ It would never be enough.

"Naruto….?"

Slowly, he raised his head.

Looking wary, Iruka and Shikamaru hesitatingly approached him, unsure whether or not he would flail out again in a deadly tempest of uncontained energy.

"I don't want to talk." Naruto dismissed them before they could say anything. "Just go."

"I am sorry but we can't do that." Iruka firmly refused.

Naruto felt a rush of unbidden anger towards him. "I'm not going to ask you again."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, impatient at what he considered to be an overreaction. "Look man, we get it. I'd let you emo yourself out all night if it was productive but it's not. We need to figure out a solution."

Naruto shifted his gaze to the horizon, watching the last of the day's blue fade away. A rosy streak emerged in the distance, announcing the sun's descent. His head was splitting from pain; he could feel the blood pounding through his veins as the pressure rose.

"I know what's been happening around me. I'm not blind."

"No one said you were." Iruka said in a conciliatory voice. "But surely you can agree that you've placed yourself into a situation that doesn't put you in the best light."

"And that's why we need to discuss how you can get out of it." Shikamaru added. "You may be talented in the battlefield but you suck at statecraft. That's the major reason why you're in the mess you're in now."

"Let me deal with the Hyuugas in my way." Naruto shifted his attention to Shikamaru.

"I know this didn't start with you." Shikamaru said. "Kakashi-sensei had problems with them during his reign too. He wanted a new government for Konoha run by self-made nin who weren't bound by bloodline ties because they would be more loyal to the village itself rather than their own clan. He hoped that you could help him with that. He once told me that you believed in that vision too."

"I still do." Naruto ground out. "For the last two years, I've tried everything—legally and socially—to keep the clan at bay." He turned away in frustration. "I just thought...I thought if I married Hinata, I could manage this by being their new head. But it's only been getting worse since our engagement and now…." His hands clenched into fists.

"You were not the only person who thought the marriage would solve everything." Iruka gently reminded him.

"You don't understand. Before Hanzei made the announcement….I was going to break the betrothal."

A stunned silence followed in the wake of this.

"And why would you do that?" Iruka asked after a long while had passed.

"Because I was marrying Hinata for all the wrong reasons and it wouldn't solve anything in the way that Kakashi-sensei had hoped." Naruto replied. "And most importantly, this whole thing is unfair to her and I'm the one who dragged her into it."

"I see." Iruka did. He did see and could tell right away that he was not being told the entire truth. "And was your healer involved in this decision?"

Naruto did not reply yet Iruka found that he did not need one. The expression he saw on his former student's face was enough of an answer. He sighed.

Shikamaru shook his head. "Seriously? You're dealing with all this shit and for what? A girl?" His dismay could not be made more plain.

"It doesn't matter now." Naruto's voice took on an unnatural coldness. "Because I have to marry Hinata regardless. Hanzei threatened to kill her and Ayame if I don't."

Both Iruka and Shikamaru were appalled by Hanzei's ruthless response.

"He is willing to kill his own relation to get his way?" Iruka looked disgusted.

"He's a Hyuuga." Shikamaru flatly appraised. "They've done this before. Doesn't surprise me that they'd pull this kind of move again."

"Which is why I can do nothing because I _know_ he intends to go through with it."

"Naruto, this isn't a time to hesitate. You're being attacked at all angles, you have to strike back!" Iruka disagreed.

"Which is all the more reason why I have to be patient." Naruto said. "Look, the two of you know about the countermeasures I've been taking against Hanzei. He was already suspicious of me and I can't give him any more reasons to doubt me ever again, especially after today. So I'm going to wait. Plan again. Marshal my resources _again_. Then when I finally get an opportunity..." his eyes seemed to gleam with a kind of blue fire. "...I strike."

"But by waiting," Iruka observed in a heavy voice, "you'll go through with the marriage then?"

"If I don't, I'm going to waste the last two years of work that Sasuke and I've been doing. I'd also be endangering two people. I can't risk that."

"Eliminating him would be a lot easier." Shikamaru pointed out.

"It would," admitted Naruto. "I would've gotten away with it if I had done that eight years ago. But that isn't a viable option anymore in the world we live in now or the one I fought for. The kages and I vowed to resolve our differences and internal conflicts diplomatically without resorting to violence. And Hanzei's not a typical enemy….I have to fight him in the council hall, not the battlefield. He's not the strongest man but he's rich, has a clan at his beck and call, and even some credibility with our village. Even Lightning, of all people. I have to dismantle all of that before I do anything else. If I just kill him, it's going to look like I axed someone without justifiable cause. I'd be no better than a dictator and that's not what a Hokage is. At least….that's not the Hokage I want to be."

"But you're more powerful than he'll ever be. What's stopping you?"

"Because I learned a long time ago that I can't wield power without understanding its limits. If I ignore them, it'll start off a cycle where it'll just be easier for me to overstep and do whatever I wanted without caring about the consequences over time. Is that the kind of person you want? For a kage _and_ a jinchuriki too?"

Shikamaru merely gazed at Naruto. After a while, he scoffed, "You're such an idealist." He dug his hands into his pockets and thoughtfully brushed his toe on the burnt grass. "But I guess that's why we chose you, right?"

He grinned at him.

"Well, at the very least, marrying Hinata would buy you some time to thwart Hanzei for good. But there's another thing you have to do in the meanwhile. You have to build _your_ credibility up again."

"Why?" Naruto was genuinely surprised. "Is my standing that bad around the village?"

"No, not yet," answered Shikamaru." But you've made some decisions that have left a lot of people questioning whether or not you're really on Konoha's side."

"Like what?"

"Letting Sasuke live as a free man amongst the very people he tried to kill." Shikamaru listed. "On top of that, your continued support for the refugees aren't garnering a whole lot of traction because most of the villagers don't want them in Konoha. And you've been spending more time with another woman than your own betrothed. How do you think that makes you look?"

"I know I've made mistakes." Naruto answered, moved to anger again. "But saving my best friend wasn't one of them."

"Fine, if you see that way." It was clear from Shikamaru's tone that he had expected this kind of reply. "But sooner or later, you're going to have make sacrifices for Konoha's sake, regardless of how you feel about it. Hanzei's views are currently in alignment with the village's on the refugees. If you disagree with him on it, it's going to look like you don't support the people so don't publically challenge him on that. Dismantle the camps at the Annex if you have to."

Naruto said nothing.

"As for Ayame…."

Unconsciously, Naruto clenched his fists.

"...you realise, you can never see her again, right? It's not just for your sake but for hers too."

"I know."

A flash of sympathy came over Shikamaru's face but just as it came, it quickly went and was replaced by a stoic look. "I'm sorry it had to come to this."

"Yeah." Naruto turned away from him to see a scarlet horizon in the distance.

Iruka gazed at his former student with mixed feelings. How terrible, he thought, to give up so much for so little at such a young age. When Naruto looked in his direction, their eyes met, causing Naruto to suddenly look away as though he had been struck in the face. For a moment, Iruka could not understand it then at last it dawned on him: Naruto had seen the pity in his eyes.

And for Naruto, that was the last thing he wanted or needed.

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As Ayame looked towards the setting sun, she turned away from its dying rays and shut herself in the temple. Nature seemed to mock her.

In the last few days since her return, she felt as though gravity had been compromised in her private universe. Her core had been shaken, her purpose ripped into shreds. Yet the world around her continued on as though nothing had happened.

When her carriage had finally arrived, she was not greeted by her sisters or Namiko but the dour house mother, Mimi.

"You're in for it now, sweetling." Mimi sourly grinned at Ayame as she stepped out. "Mistress wants to see you."

"Why?" Ayame asked even though she knew the answer already.

"Her ladyship came back two weeks ago. Saw that you ran off to Konoha." Mimi's grin grew wider, relishing at the prospect of Ayame getting punished at last. She had unceasingly complained about the girl's antics to Lady Asagao for years without getting anywhere and now a golden opportunity had finally arrived. She had never liked Ayame and couldn't understand why people found her charming when she was nothing more than an insolent novice who regularly stole from the kitchens. "She told me to take you directly to her office."

But Ayame refused to move. "Why wasn't I told of her arrival? No one wrote to me."

"Oh please," scoffed Mimi. "Don't give yourself any airs. Why should her ladyship answer to you?"

"Where's Namiko?"

"There are more pressing concerns than that, my child." Asagao's voice came from behind Ayame.

Ayame allowed herself a moment before turning around. It had been a long six months since the last time she had seen her mentor. The mission had not been kind to Lady Asagao, who looked tired and defeated. Whatever sad stories she had encountered on the road seemed to have physically affected her. She no longer had the self-possessed air as she once did but her dress was still immaculate and her wimple was impeccably draped as usual. A cloud of reproach and sadness was cast over her eyes.

"Thank you Mimi." Asagao addressed the house mother. "You may return to the main house. Ayame and I will join you shortly."

Satisfied, Mimi turned on her heel and walked off, leaving Ayame alone with Lady Asagao.

"Well." Asagao mildly began. "I would have asked how your journey fared but it seems it has been troubling for you as mine was."

Ayame said nothing.

"Why did you disobey my command?" Asagao asked in a lower voice. "You know you are not allowed to leave the temple grounds."

"You've never given me a reason why I have to adhere to that rule whilst the others don't." Ayame was moved to respond.

Asagao regarded her carefully. "You are not," she admitted at last, "like the others."

" _Why_?"

"You ask dangerous questions and seek answers that would only imperil you." Asagao was disturbed. "It was foolish of Namiko to have sent you away in her place. I realise that she had done so out of affection for you but she acted without reason. When she had told me where you were, I had a mind to fetch you myself . Had we not received your letter last week, I would have come for you." She paused. "And now that you are here, it is apparent to me that you have changed a great deal since we last saw each other. What has happened to you?"

"Nothing, my lady." Ayame stiffly said.

"Nothing?" Asagao repeated. "Rumours of your time in Konoha have reached us even here. I was reliably informed that you had honourably served the Seventh and that he took an especial interest in you. You even held a medical clinic for the refugee camp there."

"I did only my duty."

"And how did you find the Hokage?" Asagao watched her closely.

"He was no different than any other kage, I suppose." Ayame gave a thin smile, all the while wishing Asagao would stop talking about Naruto. "His arm was troubling him. I unlocked his chakras."

"Only five out of seven, I am told." Asagao replied knowingly. "Why did you leave the village before completing the treatment? You of all people understand that to leave chakras unlocked and unattended for a period of time has grave health consequences."

"The Seventh's staff arranged a different physician for him. I'm sure he'll be well looked after. Besides, I thought you wanted me to return to the temple." Incisive frustration creeped into Ayame's voice. She was angry at Asagao's inconsistencies and evasive answers. "How can you expect me to prepare for a danger that I don't even know?"

Asagao held up her hand to stem the rising tide of questions. "There is truth to what you say." The sorrow in her voice caught Ayame off guard. "Please try to understand. When you first came to us, I swore to keep you safe. Which is why you cannot leave the temple again. " She paused. "Because you did not complete the unlocking of the chakras, can you assure me that the Hokage has someone who can resume it for him? If he were to summon you…."

"He won't. He should have a new doctor by now."

"Very well." Asagao seemed satisfied but continued to look at her charge. "Your past is something that we have discussed many times, my child. But I fear that you have not put into practice what you have learned. You must let go of all earthly attachments. What does it matter where you came from or what name you once had? Accept who you are now. You and your sisters are all equal in the eyes of the gods. The work that you do now is meaningful and filled with purpose."

"But what if the life I had and the people in it were just as meaningful to me?" asked Ayame, suddenly feeling the shadow of Kyuubi's ruby-red eyes on her. "How can I accept myself if I don't even know who I am?"

"You focus too much on your own affairs. Has your time in Konoha and amongst the refugees taught you nothing of selflessness?"

"Well then why do _you_ do it? Explain to me why you've dedicated your life to this kind of service and if I should follow your example." Ayame sharply asked, unable to handle this moral thrashing. Her consciousness pricked her at the memory of Naruto's hands on her body, the brush of his lips on her skin. "Was it for love of the people who've suffered in the war?"

"Of course not." Asagao answered evenly. "Do you think it easy for a person to love such ignorant, brutish masses living in squalor who have no personal connexions to you? Who refuse your help or take it for granted? Humans may not be capable of many things but we have the capacity to believe. We can be inspired through our faith in the gods and it is through their divine grace that we are able to serve and care for those in need as though they were our own."

She laid a hand on Ayame's shoulder.

"This is your calling." Asagao said. "This is what the gods have chosen for you."

"Maybe." Ayame stepped away. "But it's not what I wanted."

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As punishment for their disobedience, Asagao tasked Namiko and Ayame with much of the drudgery work. For an added measure, she separated the two, ensuring that neither of them could meet or speak to each other for long periods of time.

This was a particularly grievous blow to Ayame, as now more than ever, she craved her friend's companionship and advice. Instead, she was forced to limit herself to formal courtesies and rarely saw Namiko except at mealtimes.

The other novices initially avoided Ayame but their curiosity quickly overwhelmed their fear of stigma and they started asking her questions about Konoha as they themselves hadn't ventured out of the temple grounds before. What was the famous Hokage's Pavilion like? How was the refugee situation there compared to here? Was the Seventh really as handsome as people said? Did you see his betrothed? Is she beautiful?

It took every amount of self-restraint Ayame had to answer their questions with utmost courtesy. After all, they didn't know what a sorry mess she had left behind.

She was desperate to reclaim the contemplative quiet that she once had when carrying out her tasks but found it eluding her. Whether it was gathering herbs for the medicine kits or sewing blanket squares for quilts, everything seemed so dull and pointless. After she finished organising all the books in the temple library, she tried reading through an old favourite, only to absent-mindedly flip through the pages then slam it shut in frustration.

The world was less vibrant, apathy having leeched the colours from it. If there had been a purpose to her life, she lost sense of it and somehow, it seemed to her that the sun itself had dimmed. Persuasive excuses of temporary depressions and fatigue from her job were becoming harder to accept.

After she had finished her mandated chores, Ayame was ordered to spend the rest of the evenings in prayer at the temple shrine. This was, ironically, the worst penalty that Asagao could have devised. Instead of finding solace in the holy silence, Ayame was assailed by anguishing thoughts of a man whom she wanted to forget. She sat in front of the wooden statues of the gods, memorising their features as she begged them to rid her of his face from her dreams: a man with hair as blond as the finest wheat and eyes bluer than any sky she had seen. Whose laughter had once ignited her heart and sent it soaring into unknown but wonderful heights.

 _Kyuubi said I was lost, nameless, and cursed._ Ayame told the gods in her prayers. _Am I? If I am...can you help me forget? I was so much happier when I didn't know any better._

It wasn't real, Ayame tried to keep telling herself.

She did not fall in love with the Seventh Hokage. She did not hear him say he would break his engagement for her. She did not witness him reneging on that promise or see his face when the announcement of his wedding came. In his eyes, she had thought she had seen regret but it all sounded too ludicrous and horrible to be true, an all too convenient lie to make herself feel better.

When Saturday finally came and she rose to meet the dawn, she felt a terrible grief that she could not understand nor accept. Gathering up her sleeves, she grabbed spare clean rags and hauled water from the well to wash the temple floors. She carried on, ruthlessly swirling the cloth against the polished wood with little pause until the panels shone.

She thought she could make it through the day until she sat down with the other girls for breakfast.

"...do wonder what the village must be doing for the wedding…." Someone said at the table.

"Why we couldn't see it? Konoha's only a few hours away! Couldn't we ask Lady Asagao if we can go? We could be with the shaman and help with the purification ceremonies." Another eagerly suggested.

"I heard the Lady Hinata's gown costed a _fortune_ to make." A novice knowingly remarked, drawing attention to herself. "It's cloth of silver and made from the finest moon-silk. They had it especially ordered from the main village! One of our patients was talking about it…."

Ayame rose from her chair and excused herself.

Exiting out of the temple, her pace quickly went from a brisk walk to a full-speed run into the nearby woods. The wind seemed to streak past her and tugged at the ends of her veil, threatening to pull it off. Leaves slapped her face as she tore through the thickets and pushed away young branches from her path until she found it completely blocked by a close clutch of oak trees.

Defeated, she collapsed against the trunk.

"It's okay." She whispered. "I am going to be okay. This is nothing."

Her vision was blurring.

"I'm happy for him." She lied to the clouds. "Truly, I am."

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 _"It's nothing."_

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On the morning of his wedding day, Naruto awoke to a fever and a silvery grey sky that threatened rain.

However the weather remained stable as he went through his breakfast and blearily looked through his meeting agenda for next week. His throat felt dry and hot. The honeyed tea he was served did very little to relieve it. His joints pained him considerably but he made no fuss, attributing the discomfort to overdoing his exercises.

He was not filled with the nervous, excited energy that so often accompanied grooms on their wedding nor did he feel any dread. In the rare moments of free time he had, he went over to his garden and simply sat by the lily pond, smiling to himself as he thought of the playful girl who had tossed him into its waters. That memory seemed so far now.

A few days before, four messages from Water, Lightning, Wind, and Earth had arrived at Naruto's desk containing florid apologies that the kages would not be able to attend his wedding as they were too preoccupied with the refugee crisis. Hanzei was furious as their absence would decrease the prestige of the wedding and made his displeasure known in a variety of ways.

Personally, Naruto did not care so much about the other three kages as he had not forgotten their reception at the disastrous summit. But he did regret at not having Gaara at the event. He ruefully looked at the Kazekage's letter, brushing his fingertips along Gaara's spidery penmanship.

 _I wish you and Hinata every happiness,_ the Kazekage had written. _My siblings and I send you warmest wishes and high hopes for your prosperous marriage. I know you will make her very happy._

At the last sentiment, Naruto could only hope that Gaara was right. When he put away his papers at last, he looked up to see Takemaru.

"Are you ready, Hokage-sama?" Takemaru gently asked.

For a long moment, they looked at each other, knowing the answer.

Wordlessly, Naruto rose from his chair.

This strange quietness continued as his valet and Takemaru assisted him in getting dressed for the ceremony. Layer by layer, he felt his shoulders carry on the weight of finery as they tidied the kage robes on him. His eye caught an occasional flash of snow-white silk followed by a cut of the deepest scarlet. A wink of gold embroidery here, a glimpse of black from his shoes. When he felt the headdress crown his head and his peripheral vision obscured by the white cloth, he stepped away, knowing he was now prepared.

At least, on the outside.

As Naruto stepped out of his palace, he walked with eyes unseeing. He took no notice of the people following him nor the Pavilion household who had gathered outside to pay their respects. He did not hear their murmurs and worried expressions as they wondered why he looked so dazed.

He felt as though he was gliding across the grounds, almost in a dream-like state, half-aware of his surroundings or the vast entourage behind him or the crowds that had come to watch the wedding. When he reached the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, he met a figure clothed in dazzling silver.

Walking towards him in a stately procession was Hinata, dressed in costly robes of silver-grey and white silk. Intricate patterns of peonies and bellflowers had been woven into the fabric. Even her inner sleeves were lined with a regal shade of purple. Her throat and wrists glittered with diamonds. In an unusual and divergent choice, she wore a tiara fashioned of amethysts and pearls instead of the traditional diadem. A long, flowing sheer veil fell over her face and gracefully trailed behind her in a long train carried by a set of handmaidens.

Seeing Naruto, Hinata smiled.

They walked in good time, watched by thousands of eyes as they made their way to the Pavilion shrine where the daimyo awaited them.

When they reached the shrine, they were greeted by long ivory gallery. Banners with the Hyuuga and Konoha sigils languidly flapped in the misty breeze. An impluvium inlaid with the purest blocks of marble was set before the compound, creating a watery mirror to reflect the grey sky. A white bridgeway led to a magnificent limestone plinth, where a small circle of the councilmen stood.

Straw rope hung with prayers written upon pieces of parchment had been tied above the area to mark its inviolability. Hundreds of lit candles had been set on the stacked steps.

Reaching for his hand, Hinata slid her cool fingers into Naruto's hot palm. Together, they stepped onto the bridgeway, leaving behind their respective entourages, and walked towards the daimyo.

"Hokage-sama." Hanzei was the first to greet the imperial couple when they arrived. His unsmiling eyes went from him to Hinata. "My dear niece."

Gesturing them toward the centre of the shrine, Hanzei led them to a shaman garbed in stark black robes. Remembering the etiquette, both Naruto and Hinata knelt down as they faced him. As he did, he winced, feeling a sharp pain jab at his chest.

Biting down on his lip, he forced himself to concentrate on something else and found himself staring at the flickering flames. He watched the wisps dance before his eyes in bright shades of orange and blue. They seemed to blur before him as he blinked hard. His head was spinning.

"...ready to say your vows before the gods…." He heard a voice say above him.

Clenching Hinata's hand, Naruto opened his mouth and hearing Hinata's own voice join his, they recited:

"My illustrious lady Amaterasu and my magnanimous lord Tsukuyomi, we stand before you to make our marriage vow and ask for your eternal blessings upon us. We swear before you to love and respect each other. To pledge fealty to one another in the long years to come. To always strive in bringing prosperity to our family. To never veer from the true path of matrimony. To share the gods' divine grace by helping others."

The shaman peered at Naruto. "Do you vow to take the Lady Hinata of the Hyuuga clan as your right and trusty consort?"

"I swear." He answered. The pain in his chest was growing.

"Do you swear to protect her as you would to your village?"

"I swear."

"Do you swear to honour her as the mother of your children and ancestress to your descendants hereafter?"

But there was no answer.

Instead, only a sudden and still silence.

Naruto opened his mouth to consent but there were no words. He took another breath and instead of air, he drew blood. It sputtered out of his lips, staining the shrine and the front of Hinata's robes as he started to fall backwards. The candles were dancing above him and he could hear the crowds cry out in shock. The horizon turned against him and he found himself on the ground, eyes wide. His hand shook as it rose to reach for something to stabilise himself as he fell but he grasped nothing.

" _Naruto!"_

He turned his head and there was Hinata, a vision of silver and diamonds, all glittering around her like stars. Then the light flashed and winked, blinding him momentarily. His sight cleared and for one perfect, swift moment, he saw Sakura standing before him in heavenly robes of crimson-white silk. No longer a girl of sixteen, she had grown into a woman's form, one that had been denied to her in life. Her rosy hair becomingly framed her face as she leaned towards him, her sparkling green eyes coming ever so close to meet his gaze.

A smile as radiant as the summer sun broke across her lips.

He knew this was an illusion but he pushed the thought back and let himself immerse in this strange but wonderful dream. It wasn't real but why did that have to stop him from feeling this way? Dazed, he stretched out his fingers, willing them to go further, just a bit more so he could hold her for one moment.

For a mirage, she seemed remarkably tangible. But what was this? She was fading right before his eyes, disappearing into the light, leaving only a blank space behind. Gradually, he felt a chill return, swathing him in icy reassurance that he would never see her again.

One by one, his fingers lowered in defeat.

A part of him seemed to tighten around his chest, grasping at what was left of his heart in fervent desperation. It tugged and pulled, fighting wildly within until at last, with a sigh of what could have been resignation, Naruto's body fell to the ground, lifeless.

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 _Clunk. Clunk._

Ayame dug the spade into soil, removing the fat potato from its earthy grave. Brushing the black dust off with the hem of her apron, she dropped it in her basket to add to her small but growing collection.

When she was finished, she walked over to the bed of carrots and pulled at their feathery tops. This was the last of bushel to do and as she walked back to the kitchens, she counted out her remaining tasks. She had to sweep out the ashes from all the fireplaces, mend some of the girls' robes, scrub the steps, and help with the baking.

"Here, Mimi." Ayame set the heavy basket down on a wooden table.

The house mother turned from the stove from where she had been minding a stew and cast a careless glance at Ayame's yield. "Is that all?" she asked.

"It's the last of it." Ayame answered.

Mimi said nothing and returned her attention to the stew. Since Ayame's return, the house mother had taken pains to make things much more difficult. She would deliberately cook sloppily, spilling as much grease onto the kitchen floor for Ayame to clean and often had her fetching things back and forth with misleading instructions. It was not her gruff attitude so much as her coldness that made Ayame feel even more isolated than ever before.

By the time Ayame had returned to the main temple, to her confusion, she saw a gaggle of her veiled sisters roaming about and talking animatedly with each other.

When one of the girls, a fellow novice called Teishi, noticed her, she ran up.

"Where've you been all morning?" Teishi asked.

"Harvesting." Ayame gestured to her dirty apron with her spade. "Why isn't everyone at meditation?"

"Oh we haven't been able to, not after what we heard." Teishi's eyes were wide. "A messenger delivered the news to Lady Asagao just now. From Konoha. The Hokage is dead."

It was as though a sudden winter had descended upon the world, blowing bitter white snow all across the fields. Ice frosted the autumn grass, choking the last bit of life out of them. The sun had vanished as a terrible fear sent a sharp chilling stab into Ayame's heart.

She didn't even realise that the spade's blade was cutting deep into her palm. She wasn't aware of the pain until she asked in a trembling voice: " _What do you mean he's dead?_ "

"No, no, Teishi's telling it all wrong!" Another novice interjected. "The Hokage isn't dead, he's _dying._ He collapsed the other day in the middle of his own wedding."

"Why? What happened to him?" Ayame demanded, feeling a rush of gladness go right through her. Still, she was dreadfully afraid and wasn't sure if she was prepared to hear more.

"Lady Asagao knows." The other novice nodded in the direction of Asagao's office. "She's with the messenger now. Apparently, he was sent by Lady Hinata, asking for one of us to come back with him to treat the Hokage."

Those were the last words that Ayame was able to register. After that, everything else was insensible. Without warning, she flung her spade down and ripped off her apron as she turned away and headed off to the temple entrance, leaving her sisters bewildered.

Wasting no time, she searched for the messenger's horse or a carriage. She knew he would not have come without a means of transportation, not if he was expecting to bring someone back with him. With a pang of regret, she realised that she would be stealing and disobeying Asagao but when she thought of Naruto, her resolve only grew.

It wasn't long before she found a chestnut mare standing quietly at the gate, her reins having been securely tied to a post. Without hesitation, she reached over and unfastened the stays. Soothingly patting the horse, she struggled to climb up to the saddle but managed to do so after the second try. Taking the reins in her hands, she unsteadily wheeled the mare around.

She was accustomed to horses as the temple kept one on the grounds for medical emergencies in case a helpless villager was unable to come for treatment. But she had not ridden in the last six months and was slow now, clumsy even.

"Easy girl, easy." Ayame murmured as she persuaded the mare to go eastward and set the pace. The horse hesitated, unsure of its new mistress at first but slowly, surely, as Ayame firmly pressed her calves against its flanks, it started off into a brisk trot then sped up to a full gallop.

The wind was cutting as Ayame rode hard, galloping across the meadow lands to reach the distant but visible green line of forest. She took the main road, not knowing of any other shortcuts, and unable to waste any time for fear of thieves or wandering nin.

 _Don't die._ Ayame prayed as she and her horse sped through the afternoon. _Don't you dare die._

She could almost see Naruto, tall and fair, flashing a smile that almost bordered arrogance.

 _I'm so sorry for leaving you._ She apologised helplessly, feeling wracked with guilt. _I didn't think I had a choice. Please, please, be alive when I get there._

It was nearly evening when she was finally able to pull up to Konoha's gates. As expected, a pair of sentries were stationed there.

Immediately without preamble, she called out to them. "I'm here for the Seventh. I was sent for by Lady Hinata. I'm a healer from the Tsukiyomi Temple. Let me inside!"

The name worked almost like magic. Recognising it at once, the guards lowered their heads and before Ayame knew it, she was passing through the village without any issue or interference. It was as though Konoha was under a spell; everything was shuttered away. Not even the market square was open and the peddler carts were all empty. The lack of people and sound disturbed her.

It wasn't until she reached the Pavilion that she dismounted. Scarcely bothering to tidy her disheveled wimple, she ripped through the outer courtyard. It had been a long while since she had last set foot on the palace grounds but memory served her well. She traversed the long galleries and went right into the inner court then up the steps to Heavenly Tranquility.

It was there that she encountered the last but far more formidable barrier.

A legion of Pavilion guards had been stationed around the Hokage's residence. In unison, their heads all turned to her and and in one swift motion, she was stopped by a linkage of heavy arms.

"Let me through." Ayame's eyes blazed. "Lady Hinata sent for me."

"She does not wish to be disturbed whilst she is with the Seventh." A guard answered in an non-negotiable tone.

"I am the Hokage's personal physician!" She snapped furiously.

"The Hokage already has a treatment team. They are with him now."

"Let me through!"

"Ayame-san?"

Startled, she looked up to see Takemaru standing right outside. The screen door behind him was open. He stared at her, equally surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

"Hinata-sama sent a messenger to my temple. She said Naruto was sick." She addressed to him desperately. "I came as soon as I could."

" _She_ sent for you?" Takemaru could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"Is Naruto alright?" She asked, fervently hoping she wasn't too late.

Recovering from the initial shock, Takemaru diverted his attention to the guards. "Let her pass." He ordered. "Ayame-san, come with me."

The arms fell away and Ayame strode into the Hokage's chamber, ragged with anxiety and feverish with fear, as she was brought to Naruto's bedside.

There was Sai, standing in the corner, his pale face reduced to a mere mask. A pair of healers was stationed at the north and south ends of the rooms , generating an integrated circle of light where Naruto lay at the very centre. A steady stream of chakra flowed from their hands through a series of line delineating seals. He looked so perfectly still and at peace that for a split second, she thought her worst nightmare had come true. But then she heard the sound of hoarse breathing and realised with profound gratification that here was definitive proof: he was still alive.

At his nearest side was Hinata, still in what must have been her wedding clothes, looking exhausted and depressed. Her hair was in a complete disarray with loose purple strands falling around her except for the crown, still held together by her weighty tiara. The front of her robes were stained by a spray of blood. Naruto's blood.

Hinata watched the slow and uneventful progress, never taking her eyes away from Naruto as though he was the only thing in the world worthy of her sight. After a while, she finally looked up to see Ayame standing before her.

For a fleeting moment, Hinata's face went rigid and her eyes took on an even more wintry expression. Ayame remained where she was, afraid to speak or come close. The fearlessness that had blitzed her through the forest to get to Konoha had suddenly been sapped away. After all, she was here only by pretence. Hinata had sent for a Tsukiyomi healer but had not requested _her_ specifically. She felt terribly guilty; there had been a few moments when she had wished that this wedding would never happen. The gods had answered her prayers but not in the way she had imagined.

Unable to smile, Hinata opted instead for a low yet courteous voice.

"Thank you for coming." She murmured, still playing the part of the gracious lady. "Do you think you can save him?"

"I want to." Ayame said. Immediately, she went over and knelt at the edge then turned to the healers. "I'm Minamoto Ayame. I was the Hokage's personal physician. What has happened to him since my absence?"

When the healers hesitated to answer, Hinata spoke up: "Do as she asks. I want her to help."

"His last two chakras completely blocked themselves up. It impacted his entire chakra flow causing hypertension. His heart almost gave out." The healer at the north said at last, maintaining his concentration on the chakra encircling Naruto.

"You haven't been able to unlock them?" Ayame was confused. This was not that difficult of a task. Why hadn't it been done sooner?

"The demon won't let us." The other healer replied.

"What?"

"We've tried to unlock the chakras but we keep getting pushed out. We can't enter into the Seventh's mind. We think the beast is responsible. It doesn't want us anywhere near him."

Kyuubi.

How could she have forgotten….

Ayame paused. "Do you think it might let someone in that Naruto knows? Someone Kyuubi is familiar with? Perhaps we can try unlocking the chakras together whilst the demon is engaged with that person."

"We tried with Hinata-sama." The second healer glanced at her. "It didn't work."

"Anyone else?" Ayame pressed on. "Maybe a close friend or a family member?"

"He doesn't have any family." Hinata softly reminded, her whitened eyes looking elsewhere.

It was then that Sai spoke. "Kyuubi knows you."

Ayame turned to face him.

"I've seen you at your sessions, remember?" Sai pointed out. "You've communicated with the beast. Why don't you try facing it?"

"I don't know if I'll be able to make it through if the others haven't been successful." Ayame admitted.

"What other choices do we have?" Sai bore his dark eyes on her. "It's worth a try."

Only after receiving an approving nod from Hinata did Ayame step into the light, careful not to tread on any of the seal imprints on the floor. When she reached the centre, she knelt beside Naruto and was awash with glowing green light.

She looked upon his face then without another word, she placed her hands on his forehead and chest.

Almost at once, she felt herself plunging through what felt like a deep, cold ocean. The sensation was so real that when she opened her mouth to breathe, she felt a gush of salty water bursting through her lips and choking out the air from her lungs.

She was floating, weightless, and struggling. There was no light. Only darkness and heavy building pressure that threatened to push her out.

That was when she heard the voice.

" _ **You've come to me..."**_

Frantically, she turned towards the sound. She was losing her breath fast.

" _ **I told you, didn't I?"**_ Kyuubi's sly words reverberated across the blackness around her. _**"You're on your own. Naruto can't save you."**_

As if in response, the pressure swiftly died down. The cold receded and Ayame felt her feet touch what seemed like solid ground. She could even breathe again. Slowly, she looked up to find a pair of great eyes watching her through the bars of a golden prison. It had been months since she had last seen the beast this close but his taunts had remained with her all this time.

She willed herself to face him.

"I haven't come here for myself." Ayame said. "I came here to save Naruto. And you."

" _ **You're wasting your time."**_ Kyuubi leered. _**"Naruto isn't dying. He's stuck, as you humans would say. He can neither go forward or back. But it doesn't mean he's dead."**_

"He's not alive either. Not the way that he should be." Ayame glared at the monster. "You've been blocking out the healers. Let us through to unlock the chakras."

But Kyuubi only smiled. _**"You'll have to go through**_ _ **her**_ _ **first."**_

"Her?" Ayame turned.

A slim figure about her height was standing before her, clothed in white funerary robes. Its head was entirely covered by a thick veil, removing all features from view. More tangible than a spectre but less corporeal than an actual being, it moved in startlingly lifelike fashion as it encircled Ayame like a vulture surveying carrion to tear at.

Ayame steeled herself to remain calm in the face of this unknown threat and thought back to her books. The sixth and seventh chakras had always been something of a mystery to her for they were not as connected to earthly matters like the others. Insight blocked by illusion. Purpose blighted by despair. The image she beheld must have been a phantom from Naruto's past or his present even. Was it an enemy?

" _What are you doing here?"_ The figure's voice rang out.

"My name is Ayame." Ayame answered. "I'm Naruto's—"

" _I know who you are."_ The figure cut her off. _"But what are you doing here?"_

"I'm here for Naruto. I have to get his chakras unlocked. Please, let me and the others in."

" _And why would I do that when Naruto is perfectly safe? He doesn't need to return to your world."_ The figure approached her. _"Go back."_

"I can't." Ayame said. "Not without him. I'm just trying to understand. Who are you and why do you not want me here? Why are you keeping him?"

" _Do you really not know?"_ The veiled phantom went around her and reached out a gloved hand to trace the curve of Ayame's shoulder in an almost loving fashion. _"Then again, you really have no idea what Naruto is. You're so unlike him. Cold. Dutiful. You care more for rules than what truly matters."_

The figure leaned in close to whisper in her ear. _"Naruto doesn't want to wake. He wants to stay just where he is…with me."_

"His friends miss him." Ayame tried to reason with the phantom. "So does Hinata...and it's not like Naruto to upset the people whom he loves."

" _He doesn't love her!"_ The figure broke into a shout, infuriated by the mention of Hinata's name. It shoved Ayame back. _"He loves me! He has_ _ **always**_ _loved me! He promised that he would for as long as he lived! He swore at my grave that he would never forget me! That he would protect Sasuke for me!"_

That was when the realisation hit Ayame. Profoundly shocked, she stared after the phantom.

"...are you Sakura?"

But the figure did not respond.

Slowly, with trembling fingers, Ayame stepped forward and lifted the veil away from its face. The cloth dropped to the insubstantial floor.

A splintering silence followed as the two looked at one another, face to face at last. Ayame could not understand it. She could see….or at least she believed she saw…. _herself._ Only the face seemed more whole, complete even, with a long mane of rose-coloured hair. The exact shade of her own, even as she had been forced to cut away at it for years. Her twin was gazing at her with such sadness that it was hard not to look away.

" _Don't take him from me."_

"I'm sorry." Ayame whispered, knowing better than that. "But he doesn't belong here with you."

Sakura's eyes narrowed and raised her hand as though to strike but Ayame was quicker and caught her wrist first. Seizing Sakura by the appendage, she threw her body against her and clasped her arms around.

" _He said we'd be together!_ " The phantom screamed as it struggled in Ayame's hold.

"Let—Naruto—go!" Ayame fought back. "You're only hurting him by keeping him here."

" _NO!"_

And all at once, Ayame felt the ghost break free then without warning she felt a sudden sharp pain in her back. Disoriented, she fell to the ground, only to see the phantom Sakura towering over her with a knife in her hand.

 _Get up….get up, you have to get up!_ Ayame frantically thought as she struggled to rise. She raised her arms in defence but the ghost was merciless as it slashed at her hands with the blade. Crying out in pain, Ayame pushed herself to her feet and grabbed at the ghost, trying to wrestle the weapon away.

" _He needs to keep his promise!"_

The last word rang in Ayame's ears and somewhere in her mind, it triggered a wholly new and unfamiliar memory. It was hazy but she remembered a boy, no more than twelve, smiling at her as he flashed a confident thumbs-up. _I promise, Sakura-chan!_ The boy's vow was as sound and clear as a bell.

 _The sixth chakra deals with insight and is blocked by illusion,_ Lady Asagao's voice flittered through Ayame's conscience, _and the greatest illusion is that of separation. All things are connected. All things are mere pieces of a greater whole._

Suddenly Ayame let go. The ghost itself seemed taken aback by her reaction then just as it rose to strike again, Ayame threw her arms around Sakura, right when she felt the death blow cut deep into the back of her chest.

"You don't have to be afraid." Ayame whispered, cradling the back of Sakura's head. "It's okay." She tasted iron from the blood running from the corner of her mouth. "Naruto won't forget you….but you can't keep him to his promise anymore. Sasuke is safe, the war is done, it's all over now. You have to let him go and move on from you."

" _He's already forgotten."_

"No….he never has." Ayame hugged Sakura close. "I've been with him all this time. I know he didn't forget you." She swallowed hard and shut her eyes as the weighty truth fell from her lips. "Because we are the one in the same. You are me….and I am you."

And no sooner had she spoken, Ayame felt the phantom vanish from her arms and the ground fall below her, sending her headfirst into a black unknown. Kyuubi disappeared. The beast's cell and everything with it was fading before her.

That was when she heard a strange, wonderful sound of a heart beating.

It reverberated throughout the darkness; it's dependable chords striking a note of familiarity. She _knew_ this heart….she had saved it once….held it in very her hands. Even now, she could remember the thickness of the muscle and its pulsating warmth against her palm.

 _I've heard this before…_

Ayame reached out for it but there was nothing to pull her back, nothing to stop her fall as she went deeper into shadow, traveling farther and farther away from all things, space, and time…

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"Get up! _Get up!_ "

A pair of hands roughly shook Ayame awake and practically dragged her away from Naruto by the front her robes.

Startled, she opened her eyes to find a Pavilion guard looming over her and just behind him was Hanzei with a full complement of his own men. His flat, expressionless face turned to her in recognition."What are you doing here?"

"Uncle," Ayame heard Hinata speak, "I sent for her. I asked the Tsukiyomi Temple to give me one of their healers."

"You did not have permission to do so." Hanzei coldly remarked. He glanced at Naruto's unconscious form. "It is dangerous to have outsiders near the Hokage, especially in his state."

"She's not an outsider, she was Naruto's doctor—"

"I know who she is." Hanzei interrupted as his eyes cast over to the healer. They flickered over to Takemaru. "Why did you let her through?"

"Hanzei-sama, the girl was once the Hokage's physician and Lady Hinata wanted the best of care." Takemaru responded although not without a faint note of apprehension in his voice.

Hanzei said nothing. It was not the silence that was disturbing but how he regarded Takemaru with a calculating look. Then in one swift gesture of his hands, he motioned to the Pavilion guard.

It seemed then that time slowed and yet Ayame found herself unable to move. She could see the silver gleam of the dagger's blade, the guard unsheathing it so expertly and flinging it without a care to its intended target then hear it impale Takemaru's chest. Eyes wide, Takemaru could only gaze after his wound before he fell to his knees then collapsed. Hinata started screaming.

 _No…no..._

"NO!" Instinctively, without knowing how, Ayame felt her left hand pull back to cock a fist and push forward, sending a powerful blast of energy.

The room shook and thundered as the blow catapulted across the floor, violently knocking the guard against the wall across from where he had stood. A deep fissure ripped through the panels from the impact then before Ayame could realise what she had done and see the damage, she felt a terrible pain burn at the crown of her head. She fell forward, clutching her forehead with her hands, gritting down on her teeth at the agony.

She could hear shouting all around her. A pair of burly sentinels seized her by the arms and when she tried to resist, she could feel her circlet slip off as the veil tumbled after it. Insensate with pain, she barely registered Hanzei striding over to where she was. He knelt down and teased away her wimple, exposing her entire head. His eyes remained affixed to the seal.

Something like a gleam of recognition was in his gaze.

"Take her."

The guards started to drag Ayame out, forcibly wresting her away from Naruto.

Hinata watched on in horror. Distressed, she looked towards Hanzei for help but was shot down by his steely countenance. Realisation jolted her. He had no intention of merely banishing the healer. There was something else, far darker, that he intended for her. Feeling sick, she turned away, unable to look at him anymore.

" _No—you_ — _you can't do this_!" Ayame tried to protest. Tearing herself away from the guards, she managed to wrench her right arm free to try to reach Naruto and Takemaru when she felt a crashing pain against the back of her knees. Staggering, she fell to the floor. In the midst of the melee, her necklace was tugged from her neck and flung away from her, landing at Sai's feet.

The crystal darkly glittered in the light and when he picked it up, before anyone else he could see, he pocketed it away. He glanced at Takemaru but to his regret, he saw that the man had already passed away. He was beyond help now.

"Remove her from our sight." Hanzei ordered.

"Let me stay with Naruto until he wakes!" But Ayame's pleas fell on deaf ears.

"Until we ascertain your true identity and purpose," Hanzei towered over her, "you will never see him again. But don't worry, my dear." His grey eyes were full of malevolent promise. "We have many….many ways to extract truth from someone."

"PLEASE!" Ayame yelled as she was dragged across the gallery by a swarm of guards. "NARUTO— _NARUTO!_ "

She screamed the name so loudly that it echoed against the hall. Then in the same brusque manner as she appeared, she vanished through the double doors.

Hanzei turned away in disdain as Ayame's strangled cries reverberated throughout Heavenly Purity.

"Uncle…." Hinata whispered. She could not bear to look at Takemaru's bleeding corpse. "Uncle, please don't hurt her. She doesn't mean any harm."

" ' _Doesn't mean any harm_ '?" Hanzei turned his wrath on her. He seemed to consider her for a moment then without warning, his hand struck across her cheek.

Sai sprang forward as Hinata collapsed to the floor. Taking her by the arms, he tried to guide her to stand upright but she was shaking so badly that her legs kept giving away against the polished floor.

"I do not know which I despise more." Hanzei glared at her. "Your weakness as a warrior or your lack of resolve as a woman."

Hinata looked up to him from the ground, her face streaked with tears.

"I dedicated my life in ensuring stability and continuity for our family long before you were born." Hanzei's grey eyes were becoming opaque. "Our house has stood as long as it has, in spite of all the Hokages waging war with every nation, because we guarded our own interests first. Now that we are finally at the edge of having our own government and when I have made you queen regnant in all but name….you want to throw it all away for the sake of some lowly girl." He angrily gestured to the doors where Ayame had disappeared to. "A girl who threatened your very position and almost cost you of your betrothal to Naruto."

"You can't force either Naruto or me to marry each other." There was a strain of defiance in her trembling voice.

"As you can see for yourself, the Hokage is in no position to object." Hanzei countered. "I can have you both married in the eyes of the gods, his mind doesn't have to be in it to consent."

"I won't do it." Hinata shook her head. "I won't."

"Then your sister will take your place."

"I am my father's heir!" She vehemently protested. "You swore to him before he died that you would recognise me as that."

"A birthright that can be easily revoked by your death." He icily pointed out. "Now what's it to be: shall we celebrate your funeral or wedding? Tell me, dear niece, which would be preferable?" When Hinata failed to answer, he ruthlessly went on: "When the marriage is done, one way or the other, you _will_ bear an heir. If Naruto doesn't recover by that point, I serve as regent. Our clan can guide your child in becoming a kage who shall always place his family's interests before his own and not be misled by ridiculous ideals of war."

"You can't be regent, there's no precedent." Hinata dared to risk herself further. "And how can you even guarantee that my child would be chosen as kage? That's not it works, Uncle."

"Two of our Hokages had children who inherited their positions." Hanzei dismissed. "This is no different."

"But—"

"Be silent, at once, you stupid girl!" snapped Hanzei. "You have no notion of how dangerously close you came to losing your ascendancy. If you wish to remain the leading lady of the land, _stay out of my way and never speak of the healer again._ " Furious, he then diverted his attention to Sai. "Post the guards outside the perimeter. No one is to enter the Hokage's residence without my express orders and that includes the Ladies Hinata and Hanabi. Is that understood?"

Wordlessly, Sai bowed his head in acknowledgement. Hinata remained on the floor, speechless. A fine pool of crimson blood from Takemaru's fallen form stained the ground, its colour and grime making a deadly contrast to the polished surroundings.

With one final look of disgust, Hanzei stormed out of the room, slamming the screens shut behind him.


	11. Identity

The parchment crinkled as Sasuke reread Naruto's letter for what must have been the dozenth time. In the orange light of the campfire, the Hokage's words were a stark black against the vellum and as the early winter wind blew around him, Sasuke felt a chill against his skin.

When he felt he had memorised the most crucial points, he crumpled up the letter and tossed it into the fire. As he watched the flames pierce and blacken through the paper, he could not help but appreciate the visual irony. Naruto's plan going up into ashes.

His journey had taken him to the far north, past Konoha's borders and right into the mountain terrain. This was his first time making camp since his departure. Fire was always a risk for detection but since he had entered into a basin area, he knew he was well shielded and made it anyway. The weather was harsh here and its coldness cut through his clothes but Sasuke did not mind. An Uchiha's blood was fire itself and ran hot, or so the legends claimed. It wasn't snowing yet but he had seen faint white caps appearing on the highest peaks.

He watched the burning parchment, mesmerised by the flames, even after it was reduced to charred remains as his mind wandered to years past. To old nightmares and faces of the dead. Names that would never be spoken or remembered again without meaning or recognition.

 _Except me,_ Sasuke thought, _I remember._

The loss of his family was like an old wound that hurt every once in awhile but for the most part had scarred over through time and bitter experience. Then there was Naruto and Sakura, the only ones who had cared about his whereabouts and desperate enough to redeem him. The former through war, the latter in love.

Even now, after all these years, he did not know if either had succeeded because for all their talk of revenge bringing him nothing but sorrow, they were wrong. How could he explain to them the cathartic peace he felt after avenging himself from grievous wrongs? He had been misled, he knew that now, but even then it hadn't taken away the ineffable sense of closure.

When the fire had died out, Sasuke buried the remnants and continued to his destination. He went deeper into the mountains, walking along ragged pathways that snaked too closely to perilous edges. This place was not meant for an easy journey nor for nin to easily visit. The closer he drew to the heart, the better he could sense an old chakra familiar to him as the shirt on his back.

He stopped at what seemed like a dead end. There was nothing but sky. Only a few feet of rock stopped him between meeting the bridgeway of heaven and the chasm of earth below it.

Pulling off his glove, Sasuke outstretched his hand against the air. An inflexible substance met his touch and at the contact, the barrier crackled with energy and suddenly grew hot. Removing his fingers, he turned them over to examine the scalded flesh.

Retreating back his sleeve, he slapped his palm onto the protective shield. An eerie blue glow illuminated his entire right arm, flowing out from his skin. Frost glazed over the barrier, forming an odd concave shape visible to the eye and once the ice solidified, Sasuke unsheathed his sword. The barrier cracked and crumbled away as hard steel slammed against its surface.

Almost at once, the sky seemed to shift as another mountain came into view and the entrance of a cavern was apparent.

Without hesitation, Sasuke walked towards the darkness and entered into the prison. His eyes slowly adjusted to the dim settings as he went further into the cave. The ceilings above him grew taller and taller, looking monstrous in the shadows with the stalagmites looming down.

It wasn't long before he heard the low, raspy hiss of an aged serpent lying in the dark. "...it has been a long, _long_ time."

Sasuke coolly observed the snakelike form move and twist on the cavern ground as it slowly rose its head.

Its decayed face was a mere stamp of a man's visage, too deformed and gruesome to be called human. The body was reptilian in shape with no limbs to speak of. The lidless eyes stared at its visitor, barely registering any discernable emotion. Eight years of imprisonment had wreaked havoc on Orochimaru. It had been that long since Naruto and Sasuke had jailed the beast within this fortress as a long-awaited repayment for his outstanding crimes against Konoha.

"To what, do I owe the pleasure of my gaoler's company?" A hideous smile ripped along Orichimaru's thin lips, revealing his fangs. "Have you come to gloat?"

"I want to ask you some questions." Sasuke was uninterested in playing banter with his old master.

Orochimaru gave what sounded like a laugh. "Under what terms? You really think that I would give you anything for what you've _DONE?"_ His head lunged towards Sasuke but only met an invisible shield. It hit with a blast that shook the cave but the beast merely grinned at the injury.

"You're in no position to negotiate." Sasuke said in a flat voice. "Answer my questions and maybe I'll consider lessening your sentence by ten years. If, that is, you get to live that long."

"Would that I had destroyed you the moment I knew of your existence…." sighed Orochimaru as he slinked back into the recess of his cell. His long silence seemed to suggest a thoughtful, mulling pause.

"What do you know of Hyuuga Hanzei?" Sasuke got right to it.

Something like amusement flickered in Orochimaru's eyes. "Why, is he troubling you?"

"You must have known him in your time."

"He is old." Orochimaru acknowledged. "I am surprised he is still alive by natural means."

"He is trying to reestablish control and make his family the ruling clan in Konoha."

"And is that the reason why my other gaoler, the Seventh Hokage, has not graced his presence here?"

"I'm not here to discuss Naruto."

"It is indeed a pity that you have to resort yourself to seeking _my_ counsel to deal with Hanzei, that irksome fool." Orochimaru said. "The solution you seek to your problem is simple. Kill the man and be done with it."

"That is not an option I can take. Not with the new world order that Naruto and his friends have established."

"A change _you_ helped create!" Orochimaru spat. "But I see now, that thanks to that moron, you've become nothing more than an idealist with fantasies of world peace! Do you think that you can stop Hanzei with pretty diplomatic words? What did you expect would happen after the Uchiha had gone and the Hyuugas were left to their own devices? What clan does not dream of becoming the defacto rulers of their village? It has happened many, many times. The Senju, the Uchiha, the Hyuuga. None of you are different."

"If Hanzei is killed, it could lead into a civil war. Naruto can't afford that."

"Ah yes. The Hokage is bound to honour like all fools who believe themselves to be noble." Orochimaru's eyes gleamed. "But _you_ ….you are not."

The singular distinguishment settled between them in a heavy pause.

"Therein lies the difference between you and the Seventh." Orochimaru rasped. "It has always been there. Because Naruto is the Hokage, he must play the part of the magnanimous king. He cannot do anything to sully that image. But you, Sasuke, are nothing more than a black shadow that the Hokage can use to do his dirty work— as all other Hokages have done in the past—until he imprisons you when you've grown too old or too weak to do his bidding."

He smiled.

"The two of you are fated to fight again and when that time comes, only one will remain. Your friendship won't save you either. Until then, you cannot give the village what it wants like Naruto can but you can still provide it with what it needs."

Sasuke studied him and Orochimaru knew from one look that his student had grasped the answer already. "Security."

"Hanzei may think himself the new Madara for his clan but he is far too weak to hold such sway." Orochimaru dismissed with a paltry shake of his head. "The most he has is a grip on his family. His loss may instigate a battle but it won't be directed at Konoha. At least, not if you were to be his executioner." He hesitated. "And yet….in spite of all this….I can still sense that you have not asked all that you wanted."

Sasuke's eyes were inscrutable. "The last time we fought, did you resurrect another being eight years ago? A girl, specifically."

Orochimaru looked at him curiously. "No," he said at last, "unless you are suggesting that I do?"

"I have no interest in your twisted schemes." Sasuke coldly said.

"Necromancy is an art that has long been misunderstood." Orochimaru seemed distracted by the mention of it. "Sarutobi called it unnatural when it was anything but. It is simply a manipulation of chakra and transferring it to an empty vessel. Nothing more. I tried to explain it to him once that chakra is like water: it constantly changes and has its ebbs, its flows. It does not have a specific signature but is imparted to all. What we mistake as unique energy is simply chakra that has been reshaped within the body it inhabits or by seals." His voice hardened. "But what I saw as innovation, Sarutobi deemed monstrous."

Sasuke said nothing. After a long while, he finally turned away to go but not before Orochimaru called out to him:

"You are no different from me." The serpent murmured through his fangs. "You crave power and feel incomplete without it so take my advice one last time for it would serve you well. If you want to avoid spending your last days in a cell like mine, do not attach yourself to any living thing and content yourself to solitude. You may want compassion, expect understanding, and even ask for love. But all that you will get is hate, scorn, and fear."

Orochimaru lowered his malformed head. "Jiraiya and Tsunade were not unlike Naruto and that girl of yours. What they never understood was that people like us do not desire redemption. Our wants are divergent from theirs."

It was then that Sasuke looked back to address his former teacher.

"I am nothing like you because of one simple fact." He said. "My friends came back for me. Yours never did."

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With grim determination, the masked ANBU captain surveyed the jutted horizon of the Annex behind painted eyes. A handful of members, personally chosen by the Hyuuga clan head, awaited in the shadows and listened for their next command.

They watched in silence, hearing an occasional high-pitched laugh of a child playing on the beach. In the distance, they could see a group of them running around with a ball. Patchy makeshift tents dotted the sandy shores along with fire-pits. A woman was cooking over one of them. Another had a cluster of middle-aged men who sat huddled together for warmth. A lone white tent, once the former site of the Hokage's medical clinic still stood on the grounds but it was empty. The sounds of life were drowned out by the rolling ocean waves.

The captain turned away to address his men.

"I want everything destroyed." He ordered. "Take down all that you can see. If you encounter resistance, you are authorised to respond with force."

A unanimous murmur followed then was broken by one, dissenting question: "Sir, what about the women and children?"

"Hanzei-sama instructed that we are to deport all refugees and close down the borders to them. If you see any deviations, you are to eliminate them accordingly so as to discourage them from future attempts." The captain coldly answered. "That includes women and children."

His attention shifted back to the beach and with a sure grip on the hilt, he withdrew his sword from its sheath.

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He dreamed that he was lost.

He was in the middle of a deserted world filled with abandoned, decrepit buildings with no ascribed names or meanings. He roamed the streets without a sense of direction only to get out of this dead city but wherever he turned, the roads seemed to stretch to the horizon. He could discern the sound of distant waves, suggesting a body of water nearby.

That was when he heard the voices.

" _...I am counting on you Naruto..."_

" _You promised me…."_

" _...from now on, you will face a great deal of pain and hardship. Be true to yourself. Have a dream and the confidence to make it real…."_

Naruto turned but there was no one in sight.

" _Naruto!"_

He knew who that was. But for her to be here of all places….

" _Naruto!"_ The voice screamed and when he looked up to try to find her, a whirlwind of cherry blossom petals blew across the imaginary sky. Its faint, bittersweet scent filled him with dread.

"Sakura, I'm coming!" He ran towards the sound and blindly followed the flowered breeze.

" _Naruto, please!"_

"Where are you?" Naruto shouted. The cityscape was too vast. "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

He sprinted down the long, shadowed streets and kept going north even as he started to reach an incline. Suddenly, Kyuubi's bold laughter broke the silence and with it, he felt the earth tremble. All around him, the buildings started to groan from the weight of decayed steel and shattered concrete. They started to collapse. The roads were splitting up.

Blindly, he went up, higher and higher. His thighs were burning from exertion but he pressed on. He could not look back. There was nothing there but destruction and emptiness.

It was then that he caught the sight of a rising sun. He reached for it, ever desperate for its golden gleam, thinking it could protect him somehow. He was running harder, faster….

" _Sakura, where are you?!"_ Naruto yelled to the listening heavens.

" _Here…here, Naruto…"_ She called to him.

"Here, Naruto." A man's voice echoed across the clouds. "Come on, drink this."

Naruto awoke with a start. Tumbling to the side, he nearly fell over the edge of his bed and it was few moments before he realised he was in his room. His linens were twisted around his feet and the coverlet had descended to the floor.

"Easy." A hard rim of a cup was pushed against his lips.

Eagerly, Naruto drank from it, tasting cool water. Dazed, he sank back into his pillows and turned his attention towards the shadow at his bedside. It was Sai.

"How're you feeling?" He asked.

Naruto could hardly answer. He pinched his eyes shut then opened them again, trying to regain lucidity. He still felt the vestiges of a raw panic clinging to him and a gnawing emptiness haunting his thoughts as he recounted what could only have been a nightmare.

Slowly, as he regained his full vision, he took in his surroundings and realised that he was not in his room. He had been moved somewhere else, to a different chamber. He did not recognise any of the hangings and knew from touch alone that this was not his usual bed.

"What….happened…?" Naruto's voice was ragged from disuse.

"You collapsed at the wedding." Sai recounted. "It was your chakra flow. The doctors think it was impeded for too long and put stress on your body. You've been unconscious for a few days."

"Where's Takemaru?" Naruto asked. "Hinata? Is she here?"

"In Earthly Tranquility with her sister." Sai answered although Naruto detected a measure of hesitation in his answer.

"You're not telling me everything." Naruto correctly observed. "What is it? What happened? Is she alright?"

"She's unharmed."

But there was something dreadfully ominous in Sai's halting responses.

"What else?" Naruto was fearing the worst. " _What happened?"_

"...when you became ill, Hinata had the senior healers from the village treating you but she also sent for someone at the Tsukiyomi temple. I didn't know about it until Ayame got here."

Naruto stared at him, unable to speak.

"The healers were having difficulty unlocking your chakras. They couldn't access your mind so they wanted to try with Ayame. It worked but Hanzei found out that she was here and came to your palace. He killed Takemaru as punishment for letting Ayame through and took her away. I think he's keeping her prisoner somewhere." Sai paused. "I did as you asked. I checked into all of Sakura's medical records and couldn't find anything useful. I waited to tell you because I didn't think it was important. But when Ayame was taken, she had this with her…."

He slipped his hand inside his vest and withdrew a delicate necklace then laid it on the nightstand beside Naruto's bed.

"I couldn't tell if it was the same as the one you gave to Sakura." Sai said. "But I had to be certain so I had her grave exhumed last night. I made sure that no one saw me and that it can't be detected." His hands closed into fists then taking a deep breath, he looked at Naruto squarely in the face. "The coffin was empty. It's been like that for a long time, probably since it was put to ground."

Naruto felt winded, like someone had sunk a fist into his abdomen. His head was reeling from the information. It all sounded too unreal, too terrible to be true.

"The Annex. You could've saved Takemaru." He barely managed to get the words out. "... _I_ should've...you...stopped them from….so why…..?"

"I had to pretend that I was more loyal to the daimyo than you. If I didn't, Hanzei would never have let me stay as your personal guard. He's named himself regent and declared martial law for the village until you recovered. He destroyed the camp at the Annex. I wasn't there but there are rumours….people are saying that the migrants were massacred." It was only then did Sai betray a strain of regret. "I'm sorry that I couldn't help them but when it came down to it, I had to protect you first."

Naruto lowered his head, not entirely sure if he could accept Sai's reasoning. An incoherent stream of thoughts and images rushed through his head from the last six months. Ayame introducing herself. Ayame laughing as she walked beside him. When he had told her not to get close, that they would never be friends. When he had given her his word only to have it be publicly broken. He staggered out of bed, feeling as though his chest was about to burst.

Sai put out an arm to restrain him back. "You have to rest."

"No." Naruto pushed him away.

"Naruto—"

" _Don't."_

Sai stepped back, suddenly unsure as he felt a noticeable change in the atmosphere. The candle lamp near the bedside dimmed. A chill pervaded the room as the pressure thickened with each passing moment as Naruto's rage grew.

Then just as it seemed to peak, the energy dropped to a steady calm.

Slowly, Naruto rose. His eyes went over to the necklace. The green crystal looked almost black in the semi-darkness. He ran his thumb along its polished facets, noting the weight and feel of it, imagining how long it had lain against a girl's heart for all these years.

"Listen to me." His voice was as calm and collected as a still body of water. "I don't know the exact day it will be but until Sasuke returns to Konoha, keep a close eye on Hinata and Hanabi. Post yourself to their palace."

"Why would Sasuke come back?"

"He will." Naruto responded with a note of finality in his voice that indicated the matter had been settled. "And when he does, don't do anything against him. Lie low like you've been doing for the past couple of days."

But Sai sensed something was amiss. "...what are you planning?" He quietly asked.

Naruto's hands clenched over the pendant as he gazed beyond the door, to a distant darkness. His eyes hardened into a terrible shade of incandescent blue.

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"I'm bringing Sakura home."

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The stinging coolness of the water flooded through Ayame's nose and the back of her throat. She twisted and turned but the arms that held her in were too strong. When she finally thought she would pass out, she felt a hand seize her head and pull her out.

Coughing and sputtering, she blinked hard as droplets streamed down her eyes. The shadow of a man was before her but she could not see his face.

"This can end when you want to. Tell us who you are." His demand echoed in the dark.

"I told you," she gasped, _"I—don't—know."_

Her answer was swiftly rewarded with a headfirst plunge back into the unforgiving water.

That was the first day.

The second day, they tore away her robes and lashed at her back. In between her screams and cracking of the whips, an emotionless voice made the same demand. _Tell me who you are._

Nothing, not even the truth, seemed to satisfy it. She wasn't sure whether or not she was Ayame or Sakura. She suspected she was the latter but still identified with the former because that was all that she had ever known for as long as she could remember.

Sometimes, the voice would change. She could tell the difference between the pitch and tone but the relentless physical torture continued without pause.

She never knew how long it lasted because she would collapse into unconsciousness. At some unknown hour, she would find herself in a dank and unsanitary cell with little to offer in comfort. The first thing she did was hitch up her robes and carefully feel down for any stains, tears, or blood—horrific signs of violation—but there was none. At least not yet. It was a grim and unsettling task that she subjected herself to but it was necessary. She had no way of knowing what had happened in those lapses.

She would lie there until at last, prompted by weakness and need, she tried to rise then did her best to remedy her wounds. There was no medicine or herbs here. Layer by layer, she stripped away the dirtied linen caked with blood. It was too painful to sleep on her back so she sat up and tried to close her eyes, all the while struggling to keep her maimed skin from touching the prison walls.

Sometimes, her restless sleep would be punctuated by the sound of footsteps that entered her cell and brought her a ration of water but they never had food.

She wondered—perhaps she had already given up—when they would kill her but death never came.

She could barely contemplate about her life in the last eight years. The pain and discomfort were almost too much for coherent thought. But in some moments, she had flashes of lucidity and realised with terrible clarity of all that she had done. She had forsaken her temple and probably had placed everyone there in danger. And Naruto? God, how stupid could she have been to have run after him like that? What if she had not healed him? What if she had left him in a worse state?

She had paid for that single ride to Konoha dearly.

Her name was unknown. Some days she was Ayame, other days she was Sakura. The latter was much more difficult to get used to and even now, she could not believe it. But how did she learn to rip up floorboards in one single blow? Was there really more than passing resemblance to herself and this long-dead girl? And why was Haruno Sakura a much more dangerous name than Minamoto Ayame?

In moments of despair, and there were many, she clawed at the base of her throat for her necklace but found nothing.

 _I must have lost it,_ she thought as tears crept close to her eyes, _or they took it from me._

After what felt like an eternity, she was taken from her cell and brought over to Hanzei.

When he first beheld her, she tried desperately not to look away. People said that the Hyuuga eyes were incomparably beautiful and something like from a dream. But there was little such beauty here. What she saw was cold, white emptiness eclipsing all emotion and thought.

"Has she said anything?" Hanzei asked her gaolers.

"No, my lord." A voice answered. There was a pause. "She doesn't know her own identity."

"What name did she give?" But from Hanzei's tone, it sounded as though he had expected this result.

"Nothing."

"Very well." Hanzei swept by her. "I want to see for myself."

She felt a papery, wrinkled hand cup her chin and turn up her face to his eyes. There was no hate, scorn, triumph, or even disgust. It was innate curiosity and somehow that made her feel more frightened.

"Kneel."

The order sent a ripple of revulsion in her. Like hell, she would do such a thing. _Never,_ she could practically hear herself screaming in her head, _never!_

But, compelled by an unseen yet tremendous force, her legs bent to an awkward shape as her knees sank to the ground even when she held fast by her wrists. She stared at Hanzei as he grew taller in the shadows. When she tried to get up, she felt her seal prick her forehead then screwed up her eyes at the sensation.

"Just as I thought." Hanzei appeared satisfied as he let go of her face.

The test was proof enough. The seal was an older version of what the main house had used for the branch members before it had been able to devise a better form. Only a Hyuuga could have cast it and he saw that this was Hisashi's work all over. He thoughts turned into fury at the mere memory of his nephew. A moment of weakness was costing nearly a lifetime of effort to eradicate this mistake.

He glanced at the guards.

"Let her go."

They hesitated, looking somewhat confused and taken aback by the strange command.

"I said, _let her go._ " Hanzei's eyes flashed at them before they roved back to the girl. "She will not harm me. She will remain where she is and be silent. She will not answer unless prompted."

The guards obeyed and to their quiet wonder, the girl did exactly as Hanzei had said. The only difference they saw was that the girl glaring at their clan head with unbridled rage. Even her face was becoming flushed. Her lips were trembling as though to speak but her knees were bent and she gave no voice.

Hanzei merely smiled. "I can sense your anger, my girl. You can hate me all you like but the circumstances will not alter in your favour."

She did not speak but kept her gaze at him, unmoved.

"There is nothing to fear." He said as though to reassure her. "I will release you soon enough. I'll even let you be Naruto's physician again."

But she felt no joy at those words. There was something maliciously deliberate about this, it was obvious to her. When the answer came at last, horror dawned on her face.

Hanzei noticed her reaction. "How unlike you are to my great-niece. You figure things out so much more quickly." He said. "Now, can you guess why I am letting you go? Go ahead. Speak."

No sooner had the command left his lips, she felt her jaw wrench open. "You want to use me on Naruto." She spat. There was pure venom in her voice.

"You make the task sound much more unpleasant than it is. I am giving you free rein over the Seventh. " He clasped his hands together. "Do not think I have been blind. I've seen how he looks at you and if you are the Haruno Sakura that I believe you to be, he would accept you wholeheartedly once he learned the truth of your identity. Of course, you will never be his wife, that is the role reserved for Hinata, but there are other positions you can occupy besides that of a personal physician.

"All I ask in return is total obedience. You will tell me everything that you discuss with him. You will influence him on key matters, provided that I have approved them first. And should the Hokage prove to be difficult, you will do as I say to stop him." He smiled. "I shall readily admit that I am no match for the Seventh in strength. But I have learned through experience that it is easier to tame, even kill, an enemy in his sleep and even better when the viper is none other than who he beds at night."

A terrible anger seized her body, nearly choking out all speech and thought from her. She wanted nothing more to propel herself towards Hanzei and take him by the throat but her knees were stuck to the ground. Her hands were limp, docile even, at her sides. She couldn't even clench them into fists.

She lifted her hateful gaze at him. "I'll die first."

"So you shall," promised Hanzei, "if you are to disobey and divulge the nature of your seal to anyone else."

A jolt of electricity seemed to rip through her body and splintered it into two with agony. She shrieked at the onset of the pain. Her arms and legs jerked uncontrollably until the guards beside her held her fast. They felt her go limp when it was over. A sheen of sweat and tears lay on her face as her head rolled back in exhaustion.

"I regret that it had to come to this." She heard a voice say. "But I am a man of my word. Soon enough, you will be released to him."

She felt Hanzei's finger lightly trace her brow.

"After I am done testing your limits."

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It had taken this long, _this much_ , for her to realise that she had no idea what love was.

Try as she might, she had no real memory of it or even her name. Physical suffering was not even enough to coax it out of whatever dark bind held her mind. Once or twice, she had had a flash.

A boy with raven-black hair, his back turned to her, as she sobbed in the middle of a deserted street.

The sound of a waterfall as someone carried her in his arms to safety, his hold encompassing her entire body. It was so vivid that she could almost feel the fine mist on her face and the warmth of her rescuer's skin against her cheek.

She did not know their names or their faces but there was one certainty. In those precious glimpses of her past, she had felt a semblance of love but it was not a form that she could accept anymore. It was a childish affection, a crush sustained by a forceful, imperfect uncertainty that it was real.

At the temple, she had known a different kind of love. One that manifested itself in sisterly bonds, spirituality, and charity. It was so simple, so pure. Yet somehow it had left a side of her unsatiated. The earthly half in which physical pleasure was mistaken for intimacy, where kisses were promises of something greater to come. And what she felt now?

She could hardly remember Naruto. When she tried, his image seemed too radiant and perfect to have been from a real memory. His eyes seemed so bright that it would have put the stars to shame. Whatever she felt for him now, whatever it was, how could it be _love?_ Because if it were that, why was she here, in this terrible place and unable to fight back? Why was she feeling afraid? Why was she not braver to _fight_ and turn the tables to her advantage? His very life was at stake and she could barely raise herself from the ground.

She curled up against the unforgiving surface.

 _Try again,_ she thought to herself, _try again, just think of something! There has to be a loophole. Anything, anything to stop yourself!_

That was when she heard the explosion.

Disoriented, her eyes flitted over in the darkness to where she believed the entrance of her cell was. Then she heard it again and this time, she could hear shouting. Weakly, she tried to get up and managed to pull herself upright. She stared uncomprehendingly into the black pit, unsure and terrified of what was happening.

The rock split open.

Cowering down, she felt a spray of upended dirt and ash fly against her followed by a series of heavy thuds. When she dared to look, she saw the body of a guard, lying facedown in the rubble. An unsheathed blade lay useless in his hand. Panic seized her. Thinking only of escape, not caring or wanting to know what was going on only that this was her chance, she frantically pried away the knife from the dead man's fingers and tried to run for it.

All around her was pandemonium.

People were screaming and the very earth shook as she stumbled in the dark, trying to find a way out. Her sides were starting to burn and when she heard an exchange of bodies colliding against each other in deadly blows. A cacophony of sounds arose of steel meeting iron, limb along limb.

Her head was burning. Broken images were flickering and flashing within in her mind with no coherence.

 _Bring him back!_ She could hear a girl crying out across the years.

 _I promise. I promise, Sakura-chan._

The pain was blinding, she fell to her knees, putting her hands to her head but she couldn't stop. She had to keep going. Whatever was taking down the guards was merciless, cutting through them like a scythe to ripened stalks. There were no guarantees that she would be spared.

 _I'm the one who made Naruto suffer the most. I've just been getting it wrong—just been messing it up. I don't want to get it wrong anymore—don't want to screw up—_

 _Lost, nameless, cursed!_ Kyuubi's words were ringing in her ears.

She ran faster, trying and failing to reach an exit. _Any exit._ All the while holding onto the knife like it was a lifeline. A pinprick of light suddenly blinked in her eye and when she turned west, the dot elongated into a ray until finally, it widened into what she thought was a way out.

She didn't even have time to scream as her feet came to a halt and when she looked below, it was as if the sky knew no end. There was a pure blue sky and an even bluer ocean below it. It's white waves were crashing against the base of the mountainside cliff. Instinct prompted her to pull away from the treacherous edge but the more she stared at the sight of day, the better she heard the sound of the water, her panic started to ebb away.

She watched the water and felt her own nauseating fear break against her wracked conscience. And just when there seemed no end to it, a thought emerged from the irrational chaos and swept over her mind. Quietly, gradually, it numbed every emotion until it left her in a strange kind of mental paralysis.

 _I can end this._

She looked down and suddenly, the edge did not seem so awful. The water was not a terrible depth. It seemed beautiful, alluring even. Calling to her. She glanced at the blade. It gleamed in the sunlight and almost looked white in her hands. A sunbeam right within her palms.

How ironic was it that for all the years she had spent healing and preserving life, her greatest gift was in death. An assuring safety. She had no way of knowing how long it would last but she could give Naruto at least some time. He would be safe from her and the knowledge nearly made her smile in her new-found madness.

She raised the blade.

 _I'm sorry._

But really, she had no regrets. He'd be free.

 _Just be happy._

She gazed at the sky again, losing herself in its colour, as she felt the cold edge of the knife make its jagged way along her throat.

And then came the blissful fall.


	12. Crimson

The stillness of winter was almost too perfect.

It seemed to sweep through the northern valley and halt all life in its wake. Even the birds no longer flew here. The trees stayed shrouded under the first brush of snow and bore indifferent witness to the grey sky that loomed above. It was as if the earth itself was waiting with bated breath for death to come. The jagged mountain range balanced the great forests with its cruel beauty, puncturing the horizon with their imposing peaks. Centuries before, they had been worshipped as gods for they had long protected Konoha from frigid, dry winds blowing into its lands and formed a protective barrier from their neighbours. Time had long since passed and faith in the gods had faded but they remained unmoved, unbowed, and unchanged.

At the heart of this alpine valley, the Hyuuga fortress was cut deep into into the face of the southernmost peak. The only sign of an entrance was a bare mouth where a trio of guards languidly patrolled around its perimeter and despite their watchful gaze, a Konoha nin had still managed to slip past them.

Naruto crouched low into the forest floor. His palms pressed into the black earth, letting the dried pine needles indent into the flesh. A balaclava covered much of his face, preventing most of his breath from escaping into the chilly air. Never taking his eyes away from the guards, he observed them closely for details: the weapons they carried, their default formation, even the way they addressed one another. He could tell from their stances that these were men had trained in ANBU, a fact that dismayed him but didn't surprise him. He had known for years that it had been within the interests of the Hyuuga clan to make a few connexions within Konoha's special forces.

It had been days since Naruto had snuck out of the Pavilion, leaving a shadow clone of a body in the sick chamber for Sai to guard under false pretence. Having learned that Hanzei had left on an envoy mission to Lightning, he took advantage of the absence and stole himself away in the dead of night.

Since on the run, there was little for him to do but to contemplate over his recent failures and change of course. He had thought by doing nothing would have bought him a temporary peace and time. Instead, all hell had broken loose. He did not want to think of what Iruka and Shikamaru would say to him now—a kage fleeing his own village.

His immediate guess as to where Hanzei had taken the girl was to one of the ANBU cells but realised it was too risky of a move for the clan head to take. Keeping a prisoner in Konoha would have been too easy to detect. He was aware of at least one fortress, now long-abandoned, that the Hyuugas had built decades ago. It had been intended as a safe harbour in those tumultuous, war-ridden times but had fallen into disuse as the clan's numbers dwindled and peacetime came. A long shot, really, but he had try somewhere. His last two guesses as to where she could be had been proven wrong when he sought out the locations and realised she was nowhere near.

His journey had taken him far north, away from Konoha's lush woodlands to the mountains where fir and spruce thrived. Rhododendrons blanketed the grounds in uneven sweeps of golden-brown and green. Greenery gave way to jagged rocks split by powerful, coursing streams that spilled into pools of clean water. The air was colder, the sky clearer, and during the day, he could see snow-capped peaks jutting the horizon instead of endless forest. He dared not rest long, sparing himself only a few hours a day. Rations were mostly on what he subsisted on but he was careful to replenish his water whenever he could from nearby rivers that were fed by the mountain snow. Sleep however was problematic.

Over and over again, Naruto had to remind himself that Hanzei would have wanted to keep the girl alive. But the moment he accepted this, it restarted a vicious cycle in which his reassurances were rendered useless at the thought of her being dead already. Too far and gone to be helped.

" _ **Chasing after a ghost, yet again."**_ Kyuubi taunted him in his feverish dreams. _**"What do you expect to find this time?"**_

" _What can you see?"_ Naruto demanded time after time.

Kyuubi's face would split into a perfect, sneering smile. _**"Are you sure you want to know?"**_

Then Naruto would awake, furious and desperate to restart his search.

By the time he reached the ancient holding cell, he stalked around the neighbouring woodland to find suitable shelter but the geography seemed to offer little. The vegetation was sparser than he would have liked and although there were plenty of boulders, they took him too far from the river. Eventually, he decided on an old tree hollow lined with overgrown greenish grey moss and close to a small spring. Stepping into the natural space, he was gratified to find that it led to a rock overhang which would give him solid ground and provide an excellent firewall against the elements.

This was where he made the calculated risk of using it as a temporary base to observe the prison from afar before attacking it.

Naruto scanned the prison entrance which was an unimpressive crevasse crudely cut into the rock. A few figures clothed and masked in sandy beige patrolled about, stopping every once in awhile to quietly converse with each other then resume their walks. It was still early in the morning and from their behaviour, he predicted that they would have changed out their shifts by now. Slowly, he climbed his way up, lurking in the mountain shadows and flattening himself out of view as best as he could manage.

 _Four….eight...twelve…._ Naruto counted from a hidden alcove. He suspected a few more within. He would have to be quick if he was to get Sakura out unharmed without having her killed off beforehand.

Readying himself, his good hand curled into a fist.

Seconds later, the tense quiet that pervaded the cavern prison broke.

A scarlet wall of energy blasted across the rock and cut through the stones, tearing the wooden frameworks apart. Splinters and dust burst up into the air as a third of the entrance's roof collapsed at the impact and though the foundations quaked over the blast, they did not give out. Some soldiers fell back or were tossed over the edge like knocked over toys. Then before any of them could gather their wits, Naruto hurtled in.

" _Stand aside!"_ A sentry shouted at the top of his lungs.

Naruto's hand shot out, breaking the guard's nose with the heel of his palm. Swerving to miss a flying dagger, he veered left then whipped around just in time to parry a strike with his forearm.

Pandemonium ensued.

The guards scrambled around, all of them rushing towards Naruto without much thought other than to subdue him. He ducked as a blade flew over his head. Rising, he turned to give a swift kick into his assailant's abdomen, sending him sailing clear across the main room.

Their startled cries rebounded in the dark as they swiped at nothing but empty air. A flying kick here, a maneuvered strike there, Naruto sped through the horde of guards like the wind, leaving fractured arms and shattered legs in his wake.

He blitzed through the crudely hewn corridor, leaping into the darkness to take full advantage of the cover. Shadows chased after him, sending a cascade of bladed shrapnel only to have them deftly shunted away from their target. Guards were falling at his feet left and right.. Pressing on, he darted out of the cavernous passageways, straining to look through chaos for Sakura.

 _Where are you….!_

He made his way in the shadows, swiftly knocking aside the remainder of the sentries as though they were no more than leaves to a tree. He slashed at their arms and legs instead of their chest as to avoid instant fatalities. Killing, after all, had never been part of the plan.

And then suddenly, Naruto felt the hot sting of a phantom whip lash at his back.

The pain ripped across the skin as the flesh split open and in its wake, he heard screaming ringing in his ears. The voice was taut with agony and pitched in sorrow.

" _I don't know! I don't know!"_ Sakura's vehement pleas echoed across his mind.

Furious, Naruto darted his attention away from the terrible vision, just in time to block off the last of the guards as he raced towards him with sword in hand. In one swift motion, he knocked the offending weapon aside then seized the guard's throat.

Violently pushing him against the rock wall, Naruto held him fast as his fingers dug deep into skin, closing the gap of air between life and death.

"Where is your prisoner?" Naruto's voice echoed in the dark.

"I don't— know what—you're talking about—" He frantically denied as Naruto struck his head.

" _Where is your prisoner?"_

"Please…." The guard could barely register the question from the blow. "I…..I can't…."

" _Where is she?!"_

"Th—the—eastern—gah—cavern—" He gasped, feeling earthen spikes dig painfully into his back. The attacker's hand was closing too tightly around his neck.

"Is she alive?"

"I…." Words failed the guard as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Naruto let go, allowing the body drop carelessly back onto the ground.

He sped to the cell, his heart pounding as he got closer to the cell but when he broke through, he found it empty except for the body of a fallen Hyuuga soldier.

At the sight, he bit back a scream of frustration.

" _ **You're too late."**_

Naruto whirled around in the semi-darkness at the sound of Kyuubi's voice, as though he could see and hear the beast within himself, and within a moment he was hit with another terrible vision.

An icy blast as tangible and hard as a tempered blade shot through his chest. A coldness swept over his entire body, encompassing his skin in an unearthly chill and froze up his lungs. In a bewildering moment, he could _see_ Sakura. He saw her wan lips curve into a smile before disappearing in a winking flash of silver and blood. Staggering back, he blindly groped against the rock walls, steadying himself.

 _Where are you…_

" _Here."_ The ghost of a sixteen year old girl seemed to answer him from the darkness of the cave. _"Here, Naruto."_

It was then that he noticed the sliver of light.

With growing trepidation, he followed it, letting him be led outside. He pulled his mask off.

As the sliver grew wider, the sound of waves lapping against the shore filled his ears. A breeze blew past him, almost as though it were beckoning him to follow and come closer.

 _Here….here, Naruto…I'm right here..._

The winter air was what brought him back to his senses as it blew a fine mist into his bare face. It smelled of salt and when he looked down, he realised he was standing over a ledge. A fine, noticeable ring of white foam rippling out from the impacted centre stood out like a china pattern against the wintry blue ocean.

He clutched at the rocks, swaying from shock.

 _No—no—_

 _NO!_

The sound of his scream seemed to go on forever, ringing in his ears as his rage and horror blistered out from his throat.

His feet came close to the edge, daring gravity, and in his moment of madness, he did not care for anything, least of all himself. All thoughts of saving Konoha and defeating Hanzei vanished. The only thing that he could comprehend was that Sakura was lying at the bottom of this vast sea.

He jumped.

Plunging straight down, he felt his body break against the water when he hit the surface and braced his back from the resultant force. The freezing temperature cut through his body as salt flooded through his nose, burning the back of his throat. A swath of bubbles slapped his face in a painful spray as he descended. Twisting and turning from the impact, he struggled to span his long arms into a wide arc then pushed himself forward, hurtling toward the surface.

His head snapped back when he felt the icy air and his chest heaved, struggling to take in as much oxygen as possible. His body bobbed up and down, pulled and teased by the rough ocean currents.

Wasting no time, he sank to the depths and strained to see underwater as far as the sun would allow. He swam forward, desperate, when he spotted what appeared to be a dark bulge with tendrils of fabric spreading out of it like torn seaweed. Racing toward it, he flung out his hand and seized what felt like a torso.

Snaking his arms around it, he kicked for the surface.

Coughing and sputtering as he came up for air, Naruto grasped Sakura to him and looked down.

The body that he held was a mutilated shell of a human being. What clothes she had were reduced to bloodied rags. Her arms and back carried multiple proofs of physical torture and a jagged, uneven line of torn flesh was split across her neck. Blood was still pooling from the wound.

Gathering her to him, he shook her as if to wake her but her head merely flopped to the side. In disbelief, his hand reached out to touch her face. His fingers trembled as they ran along her brow and descended to the area under her eye that stared out into nothing. Gritting down on his teeth, Naruto tore his attention away and forced himself to look for the shoreline. He clumsily started to make way to land, half-dragging and carrying Sakura back with him, all the while careful not to let her head sink back to the water.

His entire body was numb from the cold and with each passing minute, it became increasingly harder to move forward. Still, he viciously fought against the elements and continued to swim, no matter how stiff his legs were or how limited his arms had become in mobility, never taking his eye off the thin ribbon of land ahead of him.

At the last stretch, he let the waves carry him and Sakura towards the beach. They tumbled onto the wet sand as the ocean spat them out then receded back into the tide. Breathing hard, Naruto immediately turned his attention to the body that laid next to him. He gasped out a breath against the stinging cold as he reached for her but it was too late. He was always too late.

Naruto bowed his head as water dripped from the ends of his hair and trailed down his face, mimicking tears. His knuckles whitened as he clenched the rotting fabric over her heart. Trails of wet gravel besmirched the pale skin underneath.

It had all been for nothing. He had taken such a risk to get here and here he was, with irrefutable proof of his ignominious failure.

His metal limb shook as it made it's way to Sakura's slit throat. Upon contact, blood instantly spread all over the silver palm as he tried and failed to staunch the fatal injury. He could even smell it, its' iron tang cut a bitter note against the scent of her skin.

The sky darkened.

Thunder rumbled in the distance as a powerful surge of energy erupted from all corners of the sky. The waves rocked back and forth, moving in time as the sea swelled, rising higher until it splashed into life and came roaring for the beach. Water swirled as a whirlwind of air hissed around Naruto, as though the very elements were reacting to his anguish. Sand particles trembled underneath him as the earth shook.

Corrosive rage spilled out of him in an uncontrolled flood of power. He could no longer see what was before him as he lost himself in the wild anger that lit through his body like fire. For Konoha, he had risked his life a thousand times over, lost a limb, sacrificed his honour, even gave his hand to a woman he did not love. And for what?

 _For what?_

Glass broke into cracked formations as the sand beneath his metal hand coalesced under the scorching heat. The wind was rushing all around him with cutting speed as the sea danced around him dangerously, lashing out in icy blasts. His mind was awash in a red haze of madness and electrified with a savage desire to kill. He did not want peace, he wanted _blood._ To rip out every heart of those who had betrayed and defied him.

An ancient vengeance coursed through him, pushing him over the edge and into delirium. It was as if the ghost of Madara had taken hold, alighting him with righteous anger against the Senju. Orochimaru's wild delight sank his heart into cold satisfaction over exacting punishment over those who stood in the way. Then came a rush of Pein's disgust for mankind, the repulsion so great that Naruto nearly choked on it. And then agony.

The agony of a man who lost the woman he loved and the hate that came with it.

Obito's screams rang in Naruto's ears and with the sound, a million other voices rose up in the clamour to cry out their own suffering. From hunger, death, injustice, grief. The forgotten lives who had been taken in wars past. His face twisted in pain as he felt his skin break open to reveal bestial gashes and the fingers cracked as they elongated into impressions of claws.

" _ **Let me kill them for you."**_ He could hear Kyuubi laughingly call out. _**"Let me destroy and conquer as we were meant to."**_

 _Demonic as you are,_ the Sage's cool voice suddenly answered from a distant age, _you carry a mortal form. You belong to neither world, Jinchuriki. You exist in duality as all things do. To live is to die. To die is to live. To fight is to take. To take is to fight. Good begets evil and evil begets good._

In his black anguish, Naruto barely registered the body next to him. He reached out a deformed hand and closed it over Sakura's throat.

 _To live is to die…._

… _.to die is to live…._

He closed his eyes.

 _To live is to die. To die is to live._

" _ **Stop!"**_ Kyuubi commanded, sensing Naruto's chakra rising within him like a swelling tide ready to release a wave to break against the shore. The demon roved in its prison, his joy over his host's pain receding fast as he recognised the attempt Naruto was making. How stupid.

How fucking stupid….this _foolish_ human who was too easily led and swayed by his emotions. Who risked _so much_ for _so little_ in return.

" _ **Leave the girl."**_ Kyuubi threatened to the darkness, knowing Naruto could hear him. _**"You can't sacrifice yourself for her anymore. She means nothing. She**_ is _**nothing compared to what you will have when we are free. Forget saving her and Konoha. Forget about being a kage. Be what you were always meant to be. Me."**_

" _Go."_ Naruto's voice rang in the chasm.

Kyuubi bared his teeth. In defiance, his monstrous limb took another swipe at his bars, sending powerful vibrations reverberate throughout Naruto's mind. He lashed out again, this time throwing Naruto from his concentration and tumbling back into his subconsciousness.

The entire beach and Sakura vanished only to be replaced with a single, lone cage that loomed above him. An enormous, haunting pair of eyes glared at him through the emptiness.

" _ **You'll thank me later for saving your worthless life,"**_ snarled Kyuubi, _**"as usual."**_

Golden chains shot out from nowhere and hit Naruto from all sides. They snagged through his clothes, tearing at the flesh around his wrists and ankles as they tangled themselves all around him. He whirled around, instantly catching Kyuubi's defiant glare.

The chains cut deeper into him. They stripped mobility from him and tightened around his neck, slimming off every breath he took. Looking straight ahead, he saw the orange glow of the prison lights dim from the surface. He fought against his restraints, willing every iota of power within him to _break_ when he heard a voice call out.

That was when he saw the shadow of a woman facing Kyuubi.

" _ **You!"**_ Kyuubi howled, immediately recognising her.

" _I missed you too."_ She replied with flippant sarcasm. _"But you really can't expect me to just stand by whilst you're trying to imprison my son."_

Naruto could hardly speak.

Slowly, he lifted his head to look upon the woman's face.

A pair of laughing blue eyes stared back at him with equal delight and curiosity. The joy reflected in her countenance was as radiant as a summer sun.

"...Mother?"

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She laid still, hugging her body close as she drifted along the groundless path and was held fast in a dreamless sleep. A month or even a year would have passed without much thought for time was irrelevant. Then, like a water droplet falling into a still pond, her consciousness slowly formed and as she gathered back each of the five senses, her awareness sprang into life.

When she woke, it felt like a long time before she could move and when she did, she let her eyes travel aimlessly at the bright mist that surrounded her in a shimmering sheen of pale gold. The moment she tried to stand, she felt her body catch on something and looking down, she found herself dressed in a delicate raiment that glittered like raindrops caught on a web.

Her hand leapt to her mouth when she noticed the wispy brush of hair against her knuckles. Mesmerised, she tugged at the strands, studying their colour and texture. It had been so long since she had grown her hair out that it was almost like greeting an old friend whom she hadn't seen in years.

Dazed by her surroundings, she dared to inspect her body more closely and to her astonishment, she saw her own reflection gazing right back at her from the floor. A fresh-faced girl smilingly returned her stare. Her skin was perfect, devoid of any unusual seals or markings. Her hair framed her face in a becoming arrangement and her eyes were bright with happiness. Everything about her was so _clean_ , simple, and _whole_. She was so delighted and confused by her appearance that when she reached over to touch the image, her fingertips met a cool, liquid surface that rippled at her touch.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

She swiveled around.

A man, tall and fair with a shock of blond hair, stood across from her in the bright emptiness. Dressed in the white kage robes, he looked more of a seraphim than the military leader that he had been in life. For a moment, she thought it was Naruto and even scrambled up to her feet to run towards him when she stopped herself midway.

At the action, he smiled.

"I've seen you." She recognised him at once. "I know you, don't I?"

"We _have_ met before, Sakura."

She winced at the appellation. "That isn't my name. Why does everyone call me that?"

"Because that is who you are." His eyes were full of understanding.

She stepped back, distrustful. "...who are you?"

"A father." The man regarded her with profound sympathy. "And before that, I was a husband and a kage."

Of course. How could she not have seen it? How many times had she seen his portrait and his sculpted features from the mountain?

"You're the Fourth…."

He grinned, revealing just a flash of the playful and optimistic spirit that he had been remembered for. "We can drop the formalities. They have no use or meaning here."

"And where exactly is 'here'?"

"Oh, there are many names that people ascribed over time." Minato answered after a thoughtful pause. "You can call it what you like. It's neither here nor there, not heaven or earth. Not even hell. The 'next phase' is the best description I've come up with for it."

But before she could make a reply to this extraordinary response, a collage of painful memories hit her back with such intensity that she reflexively looked away from him. She felt shame, anger, sorrow, and defeat as she recalled her last moments. She had been imprisoned….before that, punished through isolation….forsaken by someone she loved….abandoned by all who knew her. A lifetime of lost moments rushed through her head, flickering and flashing before her very eyes.

A girl with a known name and family. A mother who loved her. The school she had attended. The streets that she had walked, the place she once called home. A thousand sunrises and sunsets over empty training fields. Hidden smiles from a respected teacher and laughter spent with two boys whom she thought would be by her side for the years to come. The echoes of a painful promise that had been made in blood.

Naruto's blood.

She saw him push through training, chase after one enemy after the other, always in relentless pursuit. Smiling in spite of punishing injuries that came with each encounter. The shadow of that fearsome beast haunting his every move, driving him into fits of madness….

"No." Sakura whispered. "No, no, Naruto, you don't have to do this….not for me. _Never for me._ "

"I know."

She looked up to see Minato watching her intently.

"I know what you're feeling and thinking. I can sense it from you. The last eight years have not been kind to you or my son."

"..."

"Sakura." Minato called in the gentlest of tones. "You're here because you have a choice to make." His blue eyes seemed to look into her very being. "Whether to move forward or go back."

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For the first time in weeks, Naruto felt his lips curve into a real smile.

"Why don't we go somewhere where we can talk?" Kushina leaned down and taking his hand, she pulled him upright to his feet.

In an instant, the darkness lightened into a startling bright, blue sky. Kyuubi, the prison, all of his chains disappeared, replaced by a marvel of a valley. A glittering lake pooled at the centre of this lush verdure and among its shores was an endless stretch of pastel-coloured blooms. The air was fragrant with the sweet scent of jasmine and lilacs.

Disoriented by the drastic change of scenery, Naruto gazed after it. Confused and amazed, he turned to his mother. "Where's this place?"

"Right here!" Kushina playfully flicked his forehead with her fingers and laughed as he winced. "Where Kyuubi can't get to us for a little while." She took in her son for a moment then threw her arms around him in a warm embrace. "Oh, I've missed you…."

"I've missed you too." Naruto closed his eyes as he sank his nose into his mother's lovely red hair and tightened his hold.

When they withdrew, Kushina flopped onto a grassy knoll and bade her son to sit beside her. Her dress, a pretty thing of white eyletted fabric, fanned around her in smooth semicircle and made a nice contrast on the emerald green grass. Her windswept hair was tossed around her shoulders and when she looked at Naruto in all smiles, it struck him that she did not look a day over twenty-five. The same age as he was now.

As if guessing his thought, Kushina smiled.

"You've grown so tall, so handsome." She looked proud as she reached over to affectionately tease a few golden hairs from his head between her fingers. "How old are you now?"

"I'll be twenty-six in a few months."

Kushina's eyes brightened. "Already! Your father was the same age when we had you." Her smile then dimmed at the mention of Minato.

"I know." Naruto reached over to hold her hand. He glanced about him. "Is he coming too?"

"Not this time." Now it was Kushina's turn to comfort her son. "But don't worry. You know that he and I are always with you. We can sense when you feel you are at your lowest." Her voice lowered to a gentle murmur.

"Mother, if you'd just let me explain…."

"You are not the only one in the world who has lost a loved one." Kushina reminded him. "What you feel is expected but you must understand that even though you are the Hokage now, it neither gives you the power or right to bring back the dead."

"Sakura wasn't supposed to die like this," Naruto was compelled to speak, "I don't know why but she was targeted and taken from her home but she deserves to live...as do you and Dad."

"But we're not alive." Kushina gave a smile that gave a tragic contrast to her beauty. "We're alike in that we chose to give up our lives so that you could survive. She was trying to save you."

"I never wanted her to do that for me." His grief was emphatic. "I'm the one who should've protected her from the start. I have to bring her back. I can't….I can't live through this again."

"What you are asking for requires a high price."

"I'll pay it." The swiftness of his response was enough for Kushina to see how little he cared for the consequences.

"Do you remember what happened to the person who tried resurrecting the dead? Do you remember what happened to her?"

"Chiyo was an old woman." Naruto knew what his mother was getting at it. "But I'm young and a jinchuriki. The rules are different for me isn't it? Isn't it true that Kyuubi has nine lives? Well what if I gave one of its lifetimes to her? Don't I have a better chance?"

"What you would be doing is a violation of natural law," Kushina levelled her gaze with him, "when something is taken from the mortal world, an equal and opposite effect occurs in the spirit realm. If you bring Sakura back, you _must_ give something in return. Chiyo offered her life in place of Gaara's. Are you prepared to give yours?"

"If that's what it takes, then yeah, I am."

"You're risking a great deal for the girl."

"Dad did the same thing for you once." He countered. "A girl who wasn't from Konoha and who everybody bullied for being different. You didn't even like him back then but he still came after you. D'you know why he did that?"

At the comment, Kushina was taken aback. "Well, of course! He...he said he had fallen in love with me!" A blush crept to her cheeks.

"And not for any other reason?" Naruto watched her closely. "Not because you were a jinchuriki?"

THWACK.

"Ow!" Naruto jerked back from Kushina's hit and nearly fell off balance.

"Now where did this son of mine get such a stupid idea like that?" She glowered at him.

"Hanzei said…."

"And you're going to take that old fart's word _over your own mother_?"

"I wasn't thinking—"

"That much was obvious." Kushina sighed, thoroughly displeased as she sank back into a contemplative thought. She laid a hand on her son's shoulder. "You don't have to do this, Naruto. Don't let Sakura's sacrifice go in vain. If she is as true of a kunoichi as you say, then she would not want you endangering your life to save her from an impossible situation. Live out your life. Isn't that what she died for?"

"Not like this." The reminder of the injustice caused his hands to clench into fists.

"Why do you have to keep making promises that will only cause you to suffer? Is this to assuage your guilty conscience or to fulfill some kind of obligation?"

Neither. It was never that or the other. He may have done many things but promising to protect Sakura had never been a mistake nor burden to bear. It had been more than a duty because it had been borne out of desire. He was about to respond when he felt his hand tug on something and looked down.

A silken red thread had looped itself around his little finger and when he lifted his hand in surprise, he could see that it led somewhere to a place he could not see but instinctively knew that it was connected to something.

He turned to Kushina for an explanation and saw a most gentle expression on her face.

"Fate." He heard her say softly. "What lies at the thread's end is the person you were meant to be with."

Dumbfounded, Naruto stared at the gleaming scarlet strand then hesitatingly closed his hand over it. To his shock, he felt a pulse of a heart. The pulse that he had not heard nor felt in the last eight years.

"...where is Sakura?"

The light in Kushina's eyes dimmed in sorrow.

"With your father."

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Sakura stared after Minato, unable to reply. It seemed to her that the Fourth's gaze was too blue, too cutting to withstand so she tried to turn away only to feel a strange resistance on her finger.

Her eyes found a crimson string tied around the appendage and although there was a long, tangled trail of red behind her, she could not see where it led.

"Sakura." Minato repeated, getting her attention again. "I know this is difficult for you to be asked of this. Yours is, after all, a choice that few have."

"What you meant by going back," she whispered, "it's…." she held onto the thread and it seemed to her that a heart pulsated along the scarlet line. Naruto's heart. "He's here. Naruto is here?"

"With his mother." Minato replied. "Do you see the water's surface that we are standing on? It is a barrier to the living world. He's across from us now."

Almost immediately, she fell to her knees upon the insubstantial floor and placed her hand on the transparent water, half-expecting to see Naruto but only her reflection looked up at her in confusion.

"Why," she whispered, "why is Naruto here? What's happened to him? Is he…."

She grew numb at the thought. _Dead? Is he dead?_

"He is waiting for you." Minato answered. "If you return."

The reply should have come so easily but it didn't. It remained heavy on her tongue, weighted by hesitancy and fear. The memory of her death had reminded her of the physical pain and emotional suffering she had endured in life. Here, she was safe, warm, complete. She did not know what lay beyond this realm yet she felt assurance that it would be something so wholly wonderful that her very soul would be secured in the greatest of happinesses. It was a powerfully compelling choice.

And yet….

….yet….

Naruto would not be there.

He was still in the living world, a place where she knew had no guarantee of safety or harmony.

Wordlessly, her eyes went back to the thread tied around her finger and as she held it within her palm, she could feel the dependable beats of Naruto's heart. She had lost count of how many times she had fought to save this very organ from the stillness of death. She had held it in her very hands though it had taken her years to understand that it had now crossed to the proverbial sense. The love that he bore for her had once frightened and embarrassed her as a child. She could not figure out why he had been drawn to her in those days and even now, she struggled to believe that he still loved her after all this time.

Clearly, Naruto had seen something within her that had been worth such devotion. But what had nurtured his boyhood crush into real love? What had sustained it during these years? How could he have remembered her?

A flood of paradoxical emotions seemed to overwhelm her. There was gratitude, guilt, and love too. Yes, it was there, she knew. Love that moved her to act, to fight, to protect.

Slowly, Minato approached the girl and when he came close, he knelt by her side and placed both hands on her shoulders, prompting her to look at him.

"Your answer is clearly written all over your face." He smiled at her. His blue eyes flickered over to her forehead where the impressions of the Hyuuga curse had been branded into. "I can give you back your memories and weaken the seal but I cannot break it. It was bound by blood and only by blood, can you be released from it."

Disappointment silenced her. This was not the result that she had hoped for but perhaps it would be enough to at least remember who she had been instead of believing she was someone else.

"No matter what happens," she heard Minato say, "never doubt yourself. Never forget that you chose this with your heart's understanding. It is all that we, as humans, can do. Regardless of time, place, and circumstance, the thread of fate is bound to you. However tangled or astray it may go, you will always find your way back to him. Always."

He paused and it seemed to Sakura that he gazed upon her as though he was seeing another in her place. She felt his hand reach for her, only to lightly grasp a few wispy strands of her pink hair and interweave them through his fingers.

"You remind me of a woman I loved in life." Minato's expression was unreadable. "Your hair is close to what hers were…." He let go and as he did, her sight seemed to dim and his image was fading right before her very eyes.

"If you are indeed like her," she heard him say as the light around them receded into darkness, "then Naruto has chosen well."

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Her heart.

Her heartbeat was stronger, faster.

Naruto could feel it.

"She's returning." He heard his mother say.

"...she'll be on her own, won't she?" He could not help it. That was one of his fears. It was true, he was ready to give himself up yet the thought of Sakura left alone unnerved him.

"A life for a life." Kushina said softly. "Yet you are a jinchuriki and you are right, in this sense, you are different from others. One of Kyuubi's lifetimes for the one that was lost." She laid a hand on his shoulder. "But the balance must be paid. You understand, don't you?"

"It's okay." He held the thread close to his hand. "I'm ready."

Kushina smiled. "Always remember," her voice seem to murmur across the clouds, "you are bound to this fate and it will surely lead you to where you must go. Let it guide you. Let it be your eyes."

All around, paradise was slowly vanishing from his sight and as he turned his gaze to the sky, he lost himself to the golden gleam of sunrise, the indigo of night, the rosy tendrils of dawn. The colours of eternity.

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 _Sakura._

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Light filtered through Sakura's lashes, teasing her eyelids to flutter open and when she did, the first thing she registered was her breath escaping from her lips.

She lay still and the longer she stayed, the more aware she became of her physical form. Her back felt extremely stiff and when she dared to raise her hand to block the sunlight that shone too brightly on her face, her joints cracked as though they had not been used in a long time. Her mouth was dry, so very dry. She longed for water and no sooner had she wished it, she was rewarded by a splash of a wave that ran over her ankles. The quiet roar of a nearby ocean filled her ears.

Biting down on her teeth from the cold, she forced herself to sit up even though she swayed as she did so from disorientation. It dawned on her for the first time that she was on a beach. Wet sticky sand stuck on her thighs like moist gravel and to her shock, what was left of her clothes was in tatters, leaving her wholly exposed to the elements.

Instinctively, her hands reached for her neck and to her grim surprise, she could trace out a healed scar. The flesh had been melded back together, the muscle was no longer torn.

She was freezing, thirsty, even hungry.

But alive.

The sound of Naruto's coughing was what brought her attention back to the present.

Slowly, she turned to the side to see him lying next to her and struggling to get up by pushing on his forearms. His matted blonde hair was dripping with seawater and dirtied with sand. Looking pale and worn out, he seemed to stare out into space, unaware of his surroundings.

It had been weeks since she had seen him, years now that she thought about it. Yes, it had been eight long years. It was almost as though she was meeting him for the very first time all over again. Not as Ayame, not as a healer, but as Sakura.

She felt compelled to speak even though her voice strained from the effort.

"Naruto." It barely came out as a whisper. She wasn't even sure if he heard her amidst the waves rolling along the shore but he glanced in her direction. His gaze however remained unfocused.

"...Sakura? Is that you?" Almost immediately, his hand stretched forward in the empty space between them. His brow creased in anxiety as he grasped nothing. "Sakura? Where are you?"

"I'm right here." She was about to reach out to enclose the awaiting limb and interlock it with her own fingers when she stopped at the sight of him.

His eyes were an unnatural, misty shade of blue as though a sheen of clouds had frosted over the once clear irises. The point of focus was off. He was not looking at her but beyond the sea. He kept turning his head to each noise: the water lapping around them, the sand shifting beneath their feet, the winter wind that blew through their clothes.

Something was wrong.

"Naruto…." Sakura rasped, her voice breaking with effort as she struggled to speak. "Can you…. _can you see me?"_

As she waited for an answer, her mind was blitzing into a panicked rage. The Fourth Hokage had never once mentioned that this was what awaited her. That this was the price of her return to the living world. Had she known, a great and terrible sorrow suddenly rose up in her, she would _never_ have gone back. _Never._ Not if it meant _this._

 _Not this._

"No." His honesty fell upon her like a blow to the chest.

"What did you do?" She drew back, horror-strick with grief. " _What—did—you—do?!"_

"Sakura, it's okay." He could clearly hear the panic in her voice now. He tried to reach for her again and felt his fingers stumble along sand until he finally managed to grab what felt like her wrist. He gripped it, as if trying to show her the measure of his resolve within the tight hold. That he had no qualms over the consequences.

What was done was done.

He was blind.

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Kushina walked along the dark halls of Kyuubi's prison, her footsteps echoing in time as she approached the beast's cage.

The shadows and firelight danced upon her face when she looked up to gaze upon her old nemesis. How she had hated this beast, the very source of all her misery and the thing she had try to counter with all the love she found in the living world. Loyalty for a village that became her home. Passion for a man who had become her husband. A fierce protective streak for the son she bore and never knew.

She had always wondered if it had been enough to contain the hatred that she now felt emanating from Kyuubi.

" _ **You bitch…"**_ The whites of the demon's teeth threateningly gleamed. _**"You ruined him."**_

"If I had let you continue," Kushina answered, "you would have eventually killed Naruto and made him out to be a monster."

 _"_ _ **Why the fuck would I let that happen? If I did that, he'd be dead and so would we!"**_ Kyuubi was enraged. _**"I could have given Naruto his vengeance! I could have given him victory but you and that girl had to interfere!"**_

"He is the Hokage now, remember? Kages don't destroy. They restore, rebuild, purify, and reconcile."

" _ **He won't fight anymore, is that it?"**_ Kyuubi gave a bitter laugh. _**"Is that so?"**_ He threw Kushina the deepest look of loathing. _**"This isn't over, it will never be."**_

"You had nine lifetimes. What does it matter to you if one was given to spare Sakura's life?" Kushina coldly asked.

" _ **And what do you suppose will happen if the girl falls into danger again?"**_

"What about the girl?" Kushina merely gazed at him.

Kyuubi's titanic mouth split into an enormous, malevolent smile. _**"You think she's safe with him? With me?"**_ His crimson eyes bore into Kushina's human frame. _**"One day soon, he will break. Neither you nor him are strong enough to control me. You know this. It happened with you, it will happen to him again. And when it does, I'm going to make him rip Sakura's throat out and I'll enjoy every second of it."**_

His challenge rang out in the darkness.

But Kushina was unmoved. Quietly, she faced the beast without a trace of fear.

"And when that time comes," she darkly promised, "my son will be here and ready to fight you."


	13. Unsteady

Frozen in shock, Sakura sat on the beach in silence, unable to register what Naruto was saying. She could not even feel his hand grasping her wrist even as it tugged at her to _look_. Bewildered, she tried to think back to the last thing she remembered. Had she truly met with the Fourth or was it a delusion brought from anoxia and trauma? She thought back to Minato's words, recalling he had promised to return her memories and weaken the seal.

She reached for her forehead and to her utter dismay, she felt the impressions still upon her skin. It was only now did she realise how incredibly stupid her choice had been. How could she have forgotten? That as long as the seal remained, she was under a Hyuuga's will and that meant as long as she stayed in Naruto's company, she was putting him in danger once again. In her desire to see him, she had forgotten this crucial detail and chosen to go back without understanding the exact consequences.

 _My god, what have I done?_ She gazed at Naruto in disbelief.

"...is it really you? Are you…." Naruto hesitated. The last time he had asked this, he had been given an answer that he did not want to hear. ""Tell me who you are."

Sakura flinched, the phrase throwing her back to the torturous days she had spent in the Hyuuga cells.

"What is your name?" Naruto waited with bated breath as he clutched her wrist.

At that, she pulled away from his grasp. "I think," her voice shook, "my name is Sakura but you knew me as Ayame."

She watched his face change as a most wondrous expression of happiness lit up his features. He smiled at her and in that gracious curve of the lips, she did not think she could find a more poignant image of beauty and sorrow. His wounded eyes glistened and it seemed to her that the irises mirrored the heavens themselves.

She knew he was talking to her now and yet she could not comprehend what he was saying for she was too absorbed in looking at him face to face after all this time. He had grown up _so much_. It was difficult for her to find the sixteen year old boy in this man. His cheeks and jawline had lost the softness of youth, hardening into angular lines that made him all the more striking. The hand from his remaining arm felt rough from callouses that she imagined were earned from arduous training and battles she had missed.

"...it's not your fault."

"What?"

"I said it's not your fault." Naruto repeated, trying to shake some sense into her. "Don't go blaming yourself. It's all right. I'm going to be fine."

"But you're…." She couldn't even bring herself to say it. Tears came unbidden and soon, she found herself crying. After all this years, why was it that he always ended up worse off every time he came to her rescue? Was she still dependent on him to save her? Had so little changed between them? She held a hand to her mouth as she bit back a sob.

"Sakura, we have to get off this beach. I've got shelter but it's in the forest and I need your help to get us there."

For someone who had just lost his sight, Naruto was remarkably calm and collected. Sakura could not say the same for herself and for a fraction of a second, she was thankful that he could not see how distressed she was.

"C'mon." He urged her to get up. Together, they supported each other as they rose to their feet. Sakura had to brace herself as she felt his weight lean heavily onto her shoulder and because he was at least a head higher than she was, she struggled to keep him from sliding back to the ground. Determined, she tightened her arm around him and forced herself to step forward. Her legs shook from the effort and Naruto must have felt her weakness because he turned to her then offered:

"I can carry you."

"No." Sakura answered in the firmest voice she could muster. No, she would not depend on him anymore than was necessary. It was obvious that whatever happened to him in the spirit realm had exhausted him and she refused to countenance the idea of physically taxing him any further.

"Sakura—"

"Just tell me where to go." She resolutely held onto him and started walking.

It must have taken them hours as the sky had changed from oyster white to a deep blue by the time they arrived at Naruto's hiding place.

The journey had been frustratingly slow as they both endured fatigue and injury. Now having lost his sight, Naruto could only describe directions to Sakura from memory. How they ever managed to make it back to the forest without causing more damage to themselves or even being caught was nothing short of a miracle. They were forced to scale up a cliff, guiding each other carefully through trails that were just slim enough to fit their feet and crossed the river downstream. This was no easy feat as the temperature kept dropping as night fell and Sakura repeatedly had to look back to ensure their tracks had not been imprinted on the thin crust of snow that lay upon the forest grounds.

When they finally reached the hollow, they staggered inside, shivering from the cold.

Almost immediately, Sakura took in the new surroundings. To her relief, there was a ashen fire pit that Naruto had made days earlier. A small pile of supplies was wedged into a corner and she quickly rummaged through them to find a flint. Her hands trembled so badly that it took her more than three tries to get a light going and as she threw the sparks into the deadwood that lay in the pit, flames flickered into life.

"Naruto, here." With as much care as she was able, she guided him as close to the fire as possible and bade him to sit.

"Clothes." Naruto hoarsely called out. "Take off your clothes."

Under any other circumstances, she would have slapped him for this impertinence. Instead, all she could do was look at him in incredulity. " _What_?"

"That's not what I meant." He grinned weakly. "You'll get chilly from your clothes. I've got some spares I think that you can use." He absentmindedly waved his hand in the air and she knew he was trying to indicate to her to look at his supplies.

Perplexed, Sakura turned back to the pile then looked down at herself. The linen robes that she had been wearing had now been reduced to tattered rags that could no longer clothe her. A sound of rushing water grabbed her attention to the spring that gurgled nearby. Silently, she sent a prayer of thanks to the gods for Naruto's fortunate find. At the very least, they would not have to travel far for fresh water.

"Let's get you dry first." Sakura decided. "You're worse off than me anyway."

Unwilling to sacrifice any other garments that Naruto had left behind, she scrounged and discovered soft swaths of moss that hung abundantly around the rock walls. Taking what she judged to be the cleanest pickings, she rolled it into a ball then soaked it in the spring water to use as a sponge. With as much care as she was able to give, she helped him out of his garments, starting with the shirt that peeled away from him easily as she pulled it from the sleeves.

"The salt is going to dry out your skin." Sakura explained as she brought the cool moss in contact with Naruto's back to wash him. He winced from the cool temperature of the water as she ran the green mass on each ridge of bone and sinew in dependable, circular rhythms. Focused in getting him clean, she barely noticed how intimate of an act this was or how long it had been since she was this close to him. Now here she was undressing him whilst she was nearly half-naked herself.

It was funny how things worked out.

When she was done, she wetted the sponge again and placed it in his good hand. "Here, you can finish the rest. I won't look. Your clean clothes are right next to you." She added.

"You don't have to be so shy." A hint of a tease crept in Naruto's voice. "I don't care if you see me."

"Naruto, please," Sakura cut across him. It was hard for her to take the situation so lightly. "You have to get warm. I need you to focus."

"Okay, okay." He relented, not noticing that she had already turned her back on him and had gathered up to change.

Exhausted as she was, Sakura forced herself to walk back to the spring and using the same moss, she quickly rinsed herself off of the blood and filth. Layer by layer, she absolved away the grime of imprisonment. Once or twice, she discovered a new scar on her body that she had been unaware of until that moment. She bit down on her lip as she tried to concentrate on the present moment; she had enough on her plate to deal with it anyway.

Once she was dry, she made her way to the supply pile and after a brief inspection, she selected one of Naruto's black shirts. As soon as she slipped her neck and arms into it, she discovered the garment was long enough to reach her thighs, making a crude kind of dress. His trousers were too big for her to wear but she did find a loop of climbing rope and with one of his spare kunais, she cut herself a very simple belt then tied it around her waist to keep the shirt from hiking up.

Crossing her arms tightly to the chest from the cold, she took one of two coverlets from Naruto's sleeping bag. Daring to look over where he sat, she was relieved to see that he was fully dressed and walked over to drape the blanket over his shoulders. Taking the second quilt, she shrugged it over herself and finally knelt by the fire.

For a long time, they sat huddled in silence and heard nothing but the crackling of kindling as they slowly warmed themselves over the heat that radiated from the flames.

Practicality finally forced Sakura to speak. "...what happened to the guards at the prison?"

"I took down most of them but they'll be back with reinforcements." Naruto raised his head to answer. His eyes flickered over to the side as though he could see a shadow behind him. "Can you hand me a kunai?"

She did as he asked and no sooner did she pass the blade, she watched in confused horror as he swiped his palm on the sharp edge. A red streak immediately formed.

"Naruto, what are you doing—"

"Trust me."

Curling his bleeding hand into a fist, Naruto turned it over and let the blood drip to the ground. His other hand began shifting into rapid gestures and just as he completed the last set, he sank his fist onto the earth. A forceful wave of energy passed over Sakura that made the hairs on her neck stand still as a septagram ringed in scarlet symbols flourished into existence. Rapidly, it expanded across the dirt until it had past their sitting forms and only then did she feel the air relax at last.

"Let's see if they can get past the barrier." She heard Naruto quietly challenge under his breath.

Sakura could only gaze after him. "Where did you learn how to do that? I don't remember you knowing how to…." She trailed off, realising her mistake at once. A long time, after all, had passed since they last met. Of course he would have learned more techniques since then.

"It'll hold." Naruto reassured her. "As long as I'm alive, anyway."

She looked down at her hands, struggling to recall her last days before she had been taken. "Takemaru." She remembered out loud. "Is he all right?"

A shadow crossed over Naruto's face at the mention of the name and she knew at once what his answer would be. Her heart sank.

"He's dead." Naruto's voice was filled with regret. "Sai told me."

Sakura blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of this terrible information while her mind felt as though it was overflowing with memories and questions. "...my parents? Are my parents still in Konoha?" Their names, what were their names? She could see them, even hear her the ring of her mother's laughter but their faces were blurs.

Slowly, Naruto inclined his head to where he heard Sakura's voice emanate from. His face looked pained.

"Not long after you went, your dad volunteered to do security patrols for the village. We were still rebuilding when a group of refugees came. They overwhelmed one of our scout parties. Your dad was with them. Tsunade told me what happened afterwards. I….I was away on a mission when I found out."

Somewhere within her heart, a little part of her died.

"And my mother?"

"She died three years ago. Her health really took a hit after your dad passed away." He paused, struggling to find some way to soften the blow. "I was with her when she went. So was Ino and Tsunade."

Tears fell and splattered onto Sakura's hands. She blinked hard, trying to focus.

"I see," she said at last.

"Sakura, I'm so sorry." And really, she knew he meant it. Even in her misery, she could see how much it was hurting him to have to tell her this.

"Tsunade isn't the Hokage anymore, right?" Sakura's voice was taut with grief. She swallowed her loneliness back.

"She left the village not long after Kakashi got elected. Neither of them are there in the village."

What kind of world had she come back to? Sakura wondered numbly as she tried to absorb each piece of news. It was as if she had awakened to a nightmare. She huddled deeper into her blanket and curled up her feet, belatedly realising that she didn't even have shoes. How had she become so helpless and alone?

 _But he's still here,_ a small voice in her head seemed to say and when she looked up, she could see Naruto gazing in the distance across from her.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "For coming back for me."

"Sakura…" Instinctively, he tried to reach over to where he thought she was but his hand only met the empty air. In silence, he retreated it back, feeling lost as to what to do. He so badly wanted to comfort her but did not know what he could possibly do or say to negate all the wrongs she had endured.

"Before you ask me anything," he heard her say, "I honestly can't remember who put this seal on me. I don't know why it was done either."

"You mean it wasn't Hanzei?" Naruto couldn't believe it. Of all the people he would have suspected, that had been his first guess.

"He came to my cell." Sakura tightened the blanket around her. "When he saw me, he was just as surprised as you when he examined the seal. From his reaction, I don't think he did it. It was someone else."

"But it had to have been a Hyuuga." Naruto tried hard to remember the fleshed markings. "I still think Hanzei must have ordered someone else to do this. I don't know but it's got his name written all over it."

They lapsed into silence again, each brooding on the magnitude of the act. Why had it been done and for what possible reason had there been to inspire its execution?

"Well," he finally heard her speak at length and he could tell she was vainly making an effort to retain some measure of normalcy, "have there been any good changes that you can tell me about?"

Good changes? Naruto found himself unable to reply. Had there been such things since his reign? He had struggled so much with restoring Konoha, privately feeling let down by bureaucracy and discovering only a few were truly interested in progressive change. The old ways of military dominance and picking fights with neighbouring nations still ran deep within the village. The Hyuugas' expansion was merely icing on the cake.

"When did you become the Hokage?" asked Sakura. Her voice was much more steady now, still soft with sadness but tinged in genuine curiosity.

"Two years ago." Naruto tried to smile.

"You finally did it." Even though he could not see her, he could tell she was happy for him in this regard. The next words had an even better effect on him than he ever imagined: "I am so proud of you."

For a few moments, he was suddenly thrown back to the day he saved Konoha from Pein. When he found Sakura waiting for him at the village border and she had thrown her arms around him, her hands cradling his face as she brushed her lips against his cheek to whisper her gratitude. He had been so thoroughly taken aback that he could not respond to this extraordinary gesture as he never knew she was capable of such tenderness. His heart had felt as though it was about to burst.

"I wish I had been there to see it." Sakura's voice was muffled as she fought to restrain her tears.

"You were." If only he could see her….his arms ached to hold her. "You were with me at every moment. I never stopped thinking about you."

His confession silenced her. He waited for her to respond, wondering what she was thinking or feeling, when he was asked another question.

"What did you do during all this time?"

Naruto did not know whether it had been an hour or more that he spent telling her what had happened in the last eight years. He told her of the frightful training he had undertaken to receive the Jonin rank and then his subsequent appointment to ANBU sometime later. He recounted the more memorable missions, some dangerous, others glamorous. He gave her updates on their former classmates, telling her of what became of them and who they were with now that there was peacetime. The last piece seemed to cheer her very slightly, particularly when he shared happier tidings.

"So, Ino is dating Sai now?" Sakura wondered aloud. She sounded so amazed that Naruto was sure she thought he was lying to her.

"I know." Naruto commiseratingly replied. "I still can't get used to it."

"And Shikamaru will propose to Temari?"

"Gaara told me himself at the summit. He said they would announce the engagement soon."

"Oh." She put her knees together and rested her forearms on their tops as she huddled deeper into her blanket. Somehow, the hollow space felt colder as she contemplated on another engagement. Did she dare ask? Did she really want to go there?

"Sakura?" Naruto frowned at the sudden silence.

"How long has it been?"

"How long has what been?"

"Since you proposed to Hinata." Sakura kept her gaze fixed to the flames. She could not look at him, not now, not when she was about to hear things that she knew would hurt her.

"Two years," came the reply. His voice was flat and devoid of emotion.

"And how long have you been together?"

"Six."

Sakura let the weight of that fact lay on her conscience. Six birthdays and holidays that she had missed; it didn't even count the months in between. She wasn't there for any of it—not when he had been made Hokage let alone Jonin or ANBU. All those milestones….when he turned eighteen, twenty-one, twenty-five...nothing.

And it taken him, what, twenty-four months to go from mourning her to dating Hinata?

Sakura momentarily shut her eyes at this terrible thought. No, that wasn't fair. If Naruto's and her positions had been switched, wouldn't he have wanted her to move forward and live a full life, unencumbered by past griefs?

 _But I'm not like Naruto,_ Sakura ruefully thought as she watched the fire twist and turn above the embers like tortured dancers. She could not find it in herself to let things go or just smile and pretend everything was alright when events didn't turn out her way. At least she knew where she now stood with him.

"Sakura, I—"

"It's fine, Naruto."

"No, it's not. You have to let me explain—"

"—there is nothing to explain." Sakura could no longer listen to him. It was unbearable. Whatever excuses he had, there was nothing that could undo what had been done. "You're engaged. I understand."

"It's not what you think it is." His tone was rough. She dared to raise her eyes to him and saw a hardened expression on his face. He had always been so easy to read; he never bothered to hide his emotions which was tantamount to committing a cardinal sin. A ninja never showed their true feelings; it was akin to giving the enemy a map to their heart.

 _Sasuke was never like that,_ Sakura suddenly remembered. To Naruto's fire, he was like ice. Nothing in this world seemed to faze him.

"Aren't you going to ask me?" Naruto lowered his voice.

" _Ask you?_ " Sakura burst out. "What exactly do you want me to ask? How did you fall in love? What did you say when you proposed? When was the wedding? Is that what you want me to say?"

She knew she had upset him and some dark, angry part of her was thrilled by it. Underneath the envious rage was sorrow and wounded pride though she did not dare admit it. Her reaction was irrational, she knew that, and yet she could not help herself. The last eight years of her life had been stolen from her without warning or reason. She had no home, no family, and now had lost her best friend. The one person whom she thought she could count on even if the world around them caved into an apocalypse. He may have been sitting only a few feet across from her but knowing that he belonged to another woman, he might as well have been removed to the other side of the earth.

"I meant Sasuke." Naruto replied, his hands clenching into a fist as he forced himself to speak the dreaded name. "Don't you want to know how he is? What he's been doing all this time?"

"He's all right isn't he? He was alive and seemed perfectly fine when I last saw him." Sakura turned away. _And still acting like an asshole, like always._

"I thought you'd be more interested in him."

"And why would you think that?"

"Because you love him."

For a long moment, all that passed between them was the distant sound of the winter wind blowing outside and the trees that rattled their bare branches in its wake.

"Don't you?" asked Naruto. "You loved him. Always have and always will right?"

"I cannot believe you." Sakura was trembling not from the cold but anger. "You are _such an idiot._ Is that the conclusion you came up with after all that's happened?" Immediately, she withdrew from the fire and resolutely turned her back on Naruto.

"You didn't answer my question."

"We are not talking about this." Sakura declared. "Just go to sleep. I'll keep watch."

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

"You have a blanket and you're by the fire. Just lie down. Is that so hard to figure out?"

"No." Naruto was growing frustrated. "The temperature is going to drop. The fire will burn out soon. Do you honestly expect me to just go to bed knowing that you're freezing out here?"

"I'll keep the fire going then if that's your concern."

"Just get me the sleeping bag and come over to my side!" Naruto finally snapped, having lost his patience. "Don't be stupid. You don't need to 'keep watch' when there's a barrier."

"I'm not sleeping next to you." Sakura refused.

"You're going to get cold!"

"I don't care."

"Fine, be that way then!" In defiance, he gathered himself up into his coverlet and turned from her so that all she could see was his broad backside.

She did not know how much time had passed but it was not long before she started to regret her choice of words and rejection of Naruto's practical offer. Just as he predicted, the temperature indeed dropped and despite her best efforts in feeding the fire with the bits of kindling she scavenged from her surroundings, the cold bit through her blanket and went deep into her skin.

In spite of her misery, she remained where she was, concentrating on the terrible chill that now pervaded her body. It was, after all, a fitting punishment. Depression fell upon her as she weakly stoked the dying embers. Losing Naruto to Hinata was one thing, but to have found out that he still believed that she pined after Sasuke….

 _I must have hurt you so much back then,_ Sakura sadly realised. What a foolish girl she had been. How could she have possibly known that a simple girlhood crush could wreak devastation upon a man years later? That her promise could haunt him to such misery. She glanced at her hand to see her fingers curled and rigid yet it was the littlest finger that attracted her attention. The red thread of fate.

Wherever she had been, she remembered it had been tied so securely and that it had led to a sure destination. If only she had it now, to guide her back to the Sakura she had been and the man she had grown to love as Ayame. Yet she could not help but wonder that every time she was with Naruto, disaster always occurred. At twenty-five, she was still wounding him just as much as when she had been at twelve. The wretched seal damned her to physically harm him one day. And emotionally? She had already managed that in less than a day of reuniting with him.

 _Never doubt yourself…._ Minato's voice whispered from memory. _Never forget that you chose this with your heart's understanding…._

"You're wrong." Sakura watched the light leave the burnt deadwood, leaving only black ash and cinders.

 _Regardless of time, place, and circumstance, the thread of fate is bound to you._

"No." Her eyes were burning. "He's not safe with me, can't you see that? I chose wrong."

 _However tangled or astray it may go_ ….

She buried her face in her hands as the last of the flames flickered away.

… _.you will always find your way back to him..._

"I can't." She keened. "I can't…."

… _.always…._

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 _Always._

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When she was sure that Naruto had fallen asleep, she made her move.

As quietly as she could manage, Sakura rose from her spot and removed her blanket from her shoulders so she could drape it over Naruto's huddled form. After going through his supplies, she carefully placed each item neatly next to him so that when he woke up, he would not have to ransack his entire pack and easily find whatever he needed. She did not take any of the rations but she did use a roll of his gauze which she wrapped around her both feet to fashion crude shoes from, if you could call them that.

Once the task was done, she stood up then turning to the entrance, she braced herself.

No sooner had she stepped away from Naruto's barrier, she felt the full force of the winter chill strike her.

Breathing hard, Sakura placed one foot onto the forest floor and gritting down on her teeth, she gingerly started to make her way down. The farther away she walked from the shelter, the more her resolve grew. Last night, she had made up her mind. The best gift she could give to Naruto at this point was safety and what better way could she guarantee that then by leaving?

Whatever the Fourth Hokage had said, he was wrong.

She would prove it, starting now. She could see the outline of trees ahead of her and was about to contemplate which direction to take when a voice echoed across the forest, cutting her to the core.

" _Sakura!"_

Her elation died on the spot.

In bewildered horror, slowly, she turned to find Naruto standing less than a hundred feet away from her. Holding onto a tree for support with one hand, she could see his eyes narrowed in concentration as though they could still discern albeit his sight was blighted. His breaths were coming out in great white puffs against the chilled atmosphere and even from this distance, she could see his face strained in panic.

She almost wanted to scream at him. Run at him, take him back to the safety of his hollow tree, tell him that it wasn't safe to be out here. To be with her.

Tearing herself away, she started to walk again.

"Sakura!" Naruto shouted. "I know that's you! What're you doing?!"

 _Get away from me, Naruto….get away. I can't be close to you._

" _Sakura!"_

It was no use. He would come chasing after her throughout this entire woodland and exposing himself as a walking target by doing so. She had to put a stop to this and thought about what could be done. When it came to Naruto, her greatest talent seemed to be inflicting pain on him right? At this point, she was willing to resort to anything from keeping him away from harm and if that meant wounding him, so be it.

"Stay back." She answered. "I mean it."

"What the _hell_ are you playing at?" He angrily asked. Staggering in the frosted mulch, he gripped onto another branch and held out his other hand. "Come on."

"I'm leaving." Sakura retreated further. "Don't follow me. Don't look for me, don't do _anything._ Just go back to your shelter. When you're strong enough, return to Konoha and just forget about this."

" _Have you lost your mind?!_ " Naruto's voice rose and echoed in the wild, causing a sudden flock of birds to fly out from their hiding places and flee into the sky.

"You stay away from me!" Sakura forced herself to use the coldest, cruelest voice she could think of. "I don't want to do anything with you, do you understand? You are _nothing_ to me."

"Stop."

"I've always hated you." The lie felt so corrosive against her tongue as she said it. "I never understood why Kakashi-sensei paired Sasuke and me with such a pathetic loser."

He was coming closer, heeding the sound of her voice. God, why wouldn't he just give up?

"People were right about you. It doesn't matter how many lives you save or what goodness you try to show. You'll always be the Nine-Tails." Tears streamed down her face. "You….you're…. _I told you, stay away from me!_ "

She nearly fell as Naruto approached, reaching out for her. His face was an ashen-grey as though he had suffered a mortal wound but he remained silent as she continued to speak.

"How could anyone," she choked out, pained by her own words and the effect they were having on him, "love someone as monstrous as you?"

"Sakura…."

" _Oh God, Naruto!_ " Sakura screamed in frustration. " _Just leave! Leave!"_

"I can't." He held out his hand again in the emptiness, hoping against hope that she would take it.

"Then I will!" She moved to turn away from him again when suddenly, she found her wrist caught and in a split second, her body collided against Naruto's chest. Desperately, she struggled against him, forgetting that he was stronger, that he was more powerful than she was. She did not care.

She clawed at his arms as she yelled and even tried to push herself away using her legs when she felt him lean his head down. His lips barely brushed against her ear.

"Don't leave." Naruto's voice cracked with emotion. "Goddamn it, Sakura, just….don't…."

" _Let me go!_ "

"You deserve to be upset with me." The sad smile he gave was like a knife to her heart. "You can hit me. Call me as many names if you want, whatever makes you feel better. I'll be here for that. I'll always be here."

"No... _no, you weren't._ " Her rage and sorrow spilled over in uncontrollable sobs as she pounded her fist against his chest.

"I should've tried harder to find you." He tightened his arms around her. "I should've been the one to protect you."

"Liar—!"

"I know I can't ask for forgiveness, okay?" She felt his hands tremble. "But if you let me, just this once, I swear to you that I will fight for you for as long as I live. You're not alone and are never going to be because you've got me. I'll be just as strong as your parents were, as brave as your teacher was for you."

" _You_ —" Sakura gasped in between sobs. "— _you promised_ — _broken_ —"

"No." Naruto whispered. "Not this time. It'll _never_ be broken. I'm not going to let anything on this planet keep me from honouring my promise to you."

She sank to her knees.

Breaking down, she clutched to him as she cried into his shoulder, finally feeling the full weight of her losses. Wordlessly, Naruto gripped her to him, cradling her body into his embrace as he let her head fall back into the crook of his neck. Closing his eyes, he stroked the back of her head and let her weep as her tears fell into imperceptible stains against the whitened winter snow.

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	14. Water & Earth

It was sometime after morning when Naruto was able to persuade Sakura to return with him.

Together, they made their way back in slow and deliberate steps, careful to keep their footsteps from leaving a traceable pathway. They kept to themselves in companionable silence as they threaded through the trees in search of their own. For Sakura, it was a bittersweet moment. Her relief was mingled with despair that she had been discovered and it would seem that for the time being, Naruto was determined to keep her close. The entire walk, he kept a tight grip on her hand, not letting her go astray for more than a moment and even when she would turn to glance back, he automatically brought his arm around her shoulder like a bird shielding its fledgling with its wing.

When they finally reached their shelter, they retreated into the semi-darkness and within the safety of Naruto's blood barrier. The moment Sakura passed through, she could feel its protective aura envelop her into something that she had not experienced in a long time.

Safety.

"How're your feet?" Naruto grimaced as he lowered himself to sit, using the rocky walls to steady himself.

Sakura looked down and sure enough, she could see a few toes peeking out from the flimsy gauze. Already, they were red and raw from exposure. "They could be better." Sakura said grimly.

"D'you think," she heard him say, "you can start a fire? For yourself at least. I don't want you to get frostbite."

"But what about you?" She worriedly glanced at the remnants of the fire that had long gone out. What was left of the kindling would barely last the day.

"We can always get more wood from outside, can't we?" A ghost of a grin flickered across Naruto's face. "Just get yourself warm."

Reluctantly, Sakura struck a light with the flint and tossed the last of firewood into the ashened pit. When the fire grew to a considerable size, she held out her hands over the flames when she stopped at the sight of them. They were pink yet grimy from forest soil and soot. Cleanliness should have been the last thing on her mind yet she could not help but feel ashamed. Lady Asagao had often mandated the temple maids to heed their appearance and always present themselves well. Withdrawing her hands from the flames, she turned to the spring behind her.

"...would you mind if I had a few minutes to myself?" She asked Naruto.

Yet the reaction was not what she expected. His face went very still as though he sensed something was amiss and what little light had been left in his eyes seemed to go out in front of her.

"Are you going to try to run?" He said quietly.

Sakura took in a sharp breath. Was it any small wonder that he would distrust her even if with the simplest request? Deciding to take a different tack, she knelt down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder so that he could physically feel that she was truly there.

"I just wanted to clean myself up." Sakura tried to reply with a smile in her voice. "I'm not going anywhere."

He turned to where he could hear her. "You want to make that a promise?"

"A promise of a lifetime." Sakura answered with a measure of wistful sarcasm. Her fingers fell away from his shirt as she rose to go. Pausing, she ventured to ask, "How were you able to find me? I thought you were asleep."

"I wasn't." Naruto admitted. "I could hear you stomping around in the snow."

Sakura bit the bottom of her lip, feeling incredibly awkward. The entire time, she thought she had been discreet when all along, he had known exactly what she was doing. Well, so much for trying to be stealthy. Embarrassed, she swiftly turned her attention back to the spring and walked over to its mossy edge. Throwing a backward glance at Naruto, she saw him sitting by the fire with his gaze fixed elsewhere. It was a sight that she would have to get used to, she realised.

Blackened gauze twirled away from her feet into a ribboned heap as she unwound the layers. Slipping out of Naruto's shirt with ease, she hugged her naked upper body with her bare arms as she bravely strode forward and experimentally skimmed her right foot against the water's surface. It was terribly cold but there was little she could do about the temperature.

Bracing herself, Sakura planted both feet in the water. She hissed as she stepped further into the pool and the unforgiving coolness seeped right into her bare skin. Realising that being fast was the only way to endure this, she scrubbed herself with a swath of moss in efficient fashion, working from all her legs then all the way up to her neck. She wiped at her face as best as she could judge without the benefit of a mirror and dabbed at her bare head. Ruefully, she ran her hand against her scalp. The thin sheet of hair that had started to grow was rough on her palm. It had been so long since she last let it grow past her shoulders that she almost forgot what it felt like to have hair brushing alongside her face.

 _Maybe,_ she ventured toward the possibility, _I'll let it grow long this time._

She stepped out of the spring, her body glistening with water, and bent down to gather up more of the dry moss when she caught Naruto's eye.

He was staring at her.

But….

…..no….

That was impossible.

 _He can't see me…._ Sakura was thrown into confusion.

No, it couldn't be and yet, his line of sight appeared to be in perfect focus. His eyes were locked onto her. They moved from her face, to her breasts, her hips, her legs. Lust. The want was as clear as day on his face but what unnerved her was that he displayed not even a trace of shame or regret. She could not shake the sense that he was familiar with a woman's form, perhaps even accustomed to it.

He _saw_ her. He _knew_ her.

Mortified, her eyes hit the ground, only belatedly remembering that she was without clothes. And completely, utterly, naked.

Blood rushed to Sakura's face.

" _NARUTO!"_ She shrieked as she immediately threw herself back into the spring, gasping from the sudden shock at the cold. "Don't—look—what're—you— _doing?!"_

"No! No, I wasn't!" Naruto frantically shouted, falling backwards in surprise. "No—the water—it—I swear to God—an accident—!"

" _Turn around!"_

"It's the water!" He tried to explain.

" _Turn around and don't you_ _even_ think _about looking!"_

No sooner had Sakura dressed in top speed and seated herself as far away from Naruto as possible, he nearly fell on himself as he launched into a series of breathless apologies and insistent explanations.

"I thought," Sakura's voice shook in fury and bewilderment, "your vision was lost."

"I can't see you now. Honestly." Naruto said truthfully. "I was just sitting down and heard you splashing in the water. I turned around and.I saw…..well, I knew it was _you_ but it wasn't you. I couldn't see the details but the water, it almost made your face kind of….glow." He finished in a lame voice. "Like it was sparkling on you."

Either this was the most outrageous attempt at flirting that she had ever witnessed or he was sincerely telling the truth, Sakura could not be sure. As a teenager, Naruto had been notorious for trying to sneak a peek at the girls whenever they went bathing at the bathhouses and she was prejudiced into thinking his habit had not changed since then. Yet, as she watched him, she could clearly see anxiety lining his features and a kind of desperation within his misted eyes.

Still distrustful, she nevertheless made her way back to the edge of the spring and pulling back on the sleeve of her shirt dress to expose her bare arm, she dipped her other hand in the water and sprinkled the clear droplets onto her skin.

"What do you see?" She challenged Naruto.

At the sound, she watched him perk up and saw that his eyes had that strange, sharp focus again.

"...your arm." He hesitated and shook his head. "Just your arm, I think."

"And this?" She sank her foot in and brought it out again, water dripping from her toes.

"Your foot."

"Which one?"

"Left."

Dumbfounded by his accuracy, Sakura quickly mopped up her wet arm and foot then in a moment of inspiration, she gathered up a little pebble and threw it into the spring.

"What do you see now?" She tested him again, watching and waiting for another answer.

Naruto's brows furrowed. "I don't see anything."

"My hand is wet." Sakura lied.

"Oh." The shadows from the flames danced over his face, shadowing his eyes from view. His disappointment was palpable.

"Don't worry." For the first time, in a long while, she felt hopeful. "I'm sorry, I was making it up earlier. I didn't have my hand wet."

"You mean….?"

"I think," Sakura cautiously estimated, "you can see as long as there is water on the surface but I don't know why."

"But I can't see the spring and I couldn't see the ocean when we were at the beach." Naruto pointed out. "That has lots of water in it, right?"

"I don't know how this works." Sakura shook her head. "It's beyond what I know, medically speaking. I think with you, we may just find out things from trial and error. There aren't any textbooks out there that spell out the exact health details on a Jinchuriki"

"It's better than nothing."

"I suppose."

"Sakura," Naruto called, "if you're hungry, I've still got some rations left. We can have those tonight and talk about what to do in the morning."

"I'm more tired actually," confessed Sakura.

"You haven't eaten since yesterday." Naruto edged closer to where he could feel the warmth of the fire. He entreated to the darkness again, knowing that Sakura could hear him. "At least a couple bites?"

A few minutes later, he was gratified to discern the familiar sound of paper wrappings being torn open as Sakura broke apart a ration biscuit and held up each dry piece to her lips. Her jaw was sore and stiff from disuse as she chewed up her food but it was so dry that she had to wash it down with the spring water. Still feeling sleepy, she contemplated on retrieving one of Naruto's blankets and lie down when she heard him call for her again.

"Can I ask you something?"

"I thought you said you wanted to talk in the morning." Sakura wearily reminded him.

"Are you even going to be here by then?"

"I told you," she closed her eyes and shielded her face with her right hand, "I'm not going."

"Then you have time to answer. Why'd you do it?" asked Naruto. "Why did you run?"

The truth pressed against her lips yet it was as if her voice was restrained by an invisible gag. Somehow, she could not spit out the exact story. Her hand fell away as she looked at him. All she could manage was: "I was trying to protect you."

"You could've froze out there. Or worse, get caught by ANBU or a Hyuuga guard." Naruto was uncharacteristically stern. "I don't want you ever putting yourself in harm's way for me. Ever."

"Why?" demanded Sakura. "You do it for me all the time so why can't I do the same for you?"

"Because I can't protect you in the way that I want until I figure something out about my eyes and I don't want to lose you." It was the first time he had admitted his limitation. It sounded just as bad out loud as he imagined but he did not know of what other way to impress upon her the severity of what she had done.

"That's exactly my point, Naruto. Hanzei wants _me_ and by being around me, you're going to get targeted too." She glared at him, frustrated as to why he was being so dense about this when she knew that he was fully aware of the risks involved.

"Good. I'm looking forward to it." Naruto responded with a level of arrogance only appropriate for a Hokage. "If he even thinks of trying to capture you, I'll be right here waiting for him and his men. I've always wanted to kick his ass."

"Naruto," Sakura quickly changed tack and opted for rational persuasion, "we both are still recovering and I—" she forced herself to say it, "—I can't fight like you can. I can't cover you like I used to. I've lived as a civilian doctor for the past eight years. I'm not a kunoichi anymore."

She felt the depression come again. Since childhood, she had always dreamed of becoming a warrior of unparalleled skill whose feats would place her among the legends and even equal to Lady Mito or Tsunade. Being a kunoichi had been more than a dream but a career too. Now she had lost that, seemingly forever. The years represented a lost gap of time that she would be forever trying to make up. She was still a doctor, she at least had that, but what place did she have in this new world where kages and nations no longer warred with one another? What use, if any, did she have?

She was no more than a defenceless girl at the mercy of the elements and dependent on a Hokage whose sight she had blighted. Some kunoichi she turned out to be.

"You can still try." Naruto answered gruffly.

"The last time we saw each other, I was still a Chunin. The people who'll come for me outrank me by ten. Do you expect me to 'learn' up to their level in a few hours?"

"Why should that stop you? You're one of the smartest people I've ever met. You were amazing in the last war and I've lost count how many times you saved my life. You can do this."

"That was eight years ago. Things are different now."

"This isn't like you." Naruto's brows pinched together as he furiously looked out into black, empty space. It was almost as though he was speaking to a ghost or a conscience perhaps but her presence was as tangible to him as the shirt on his skin. "I don't understand why you're giving up so easily."

"Well maybe I changed!" She lashed out. "And it's not just me, you have too."

It was true. When she had first entered the Hokage Pavilion in Konoha as Ayame, she had found Naruto to be cold and stern, hardly anything like his vivacious-self when he had been a boy. They had reunited not as equals as they once were on the training field but as a Hokage and a physician within the confines of a palace. Whatever similarities they could claim to have had been erased by time and she was forced to accept that their positions were now reversed. She was the one without a family, name, or home now. And if and when this was all over, Naruto could go back to an entire village and had a bride waiting for him.

"You're right." Naruto acknowledged. "We're not sixteen anymore. But I've known you since you were five and you're just not the kind of girl who walks away without trying first."

"You think this is easy for me?" asked Sakura. Her eyes were stinging again and she knew in an instant that she was about to cry. Her emotions were all over the place and for the life of her, she couldn't rein them in. "You lost your sight _because of me_. You put yourself in danger _because of me_. And I," she struck her chest in a gesture of blame, "can't live with it."

She furiously wiped her eyes against her sleeve and exhaled hard.

"I chose this." She heard Naruto say. "I don't care about being blind. I really don't. It's a better option compared to the alternative."

" _I_ care." Sakura whispered. "I care about it a lot."

"I wanted you to come back. If that meant giving up on my other arm, my legs, whatever it was, I was willing to pay the price. I still am." He smiled as if to himself. "And you know why I would do that for you, don't you?"

It would have been a lie to say that she was not moved. His words alone were almost enough to make her want to throw her arms around him.

But….

The cold weight of guilt sank her motivation.

"You can't say things like that to me." She said quietly.

"Why not?"

Did she really need to remind him? She stared at her hands again, now clean but still pink from the spring.

"Because you're with Hinata." She replied. "You're married now, aren't you?"

"The daimyo never formally declared us and the ceremony wasn't done." There was an odd note of defiance in his words.

"But your engagement still stands."

A silence lapsed between them again.

"You have to understand," Naruto said after a long while, "when Kakashi was still the Hokage, the Hyuuga clan was expanding aggressively. They still are. He told me he didn't want a power imbalance but was worried of starting a civil war. Konoha wasn't ready for that. He felt that if I married Hinata, since she was the heiress-apparent, I could check them back and stabilise the situation. We were dating for a while at the time and he thought that if I proposed to her, no one would question it or think it wasn't genuine."

Sakura was at a loss for words. It was one thing to know that her former mentor had been behind this but entirely another to realise that Naruto, of all people, to go through with such a calculated and political move.

"D' you remember that day when Hanzei made the announcement?"

Tensed, she unconsciously clenched her hands. "Yes."

"I was going to break off the betrothal." He said. "But I couldn't, not with him threatening Hinata. I had to keep it until I knew she and her sister were safe from him. I wouldn't have left the Pavilion if I didn't make sure they would be protected." He paused. "Then I found about who you really were and I had to make a choice. And when it came down to it….I had to save you."

"Do you love her?" Sakura gazed at him. She did not know whether to feel elated or horrified by the admission that he had forsaken one girl's safety over the other. It felt strange to be torn between two extremes. What kind of a person did it make her to simultaneously harbour guilt and pleasure over this?

"I wanted to." Naruto said at long last. "I wanted to make it work. I honestly thought if I tried hard enough, I'd love her like the way I loved you."

"Naruto, please don't say that—"

"Well it's the truth." She saw a fleeting expression of bitterness flash across his face. "The whole time I was with her, I was gone for most of it, all right? I was always away on missions and when we were betrothed, it only got worse after I became the Hokage." He looked pained with remorse. "You know what she said to me once? She told me that when I look at her, it was like I was seeing someone else. And the worst part is, I'm the one responsible for making her feel that way."

"Then why weren't you honest with her from the very beginning?" Sakura couldn't understand it, getting upset again. Desperately, she tried to search for that obnoxiously optimistic boy she had known since childhood in the man before her. That boy, she knew with absolute certainty, would never have placed himself in these circumstances. He had little claim to the things that had mattered in Konoha back then: money, family, even skill or talent. But he had been genuine and innately kind, someone who would have instantly fought for what he believed in.

Her gaze fell upon Naruto's powerful frame and angular face, now matured to a striking masculine beauty that had not been apparent years ago. But where was that child? Had he been thrown aside for the sake of maintaining power and position? Another awful thought suddenly struck her and before she could think over the consequences, she asked out loud:

"Did you sleep with her?"

The smallest drop of water could have fallen and they probably would have heard it in the terrible quiet that followed this extraordinary question. What right did she think have in asking….Sakura was horrified by her own impulsivity.

"I….I didn't mean…." she fumbled for the words to explain, apologise, even request a measure of understanding from him. Then to her greatest surprise, she heard him answer.

"No."

She blinked, not quite following. "But…."

 _How?_ Six years and there had been _nothing_?

This had to have been a lie. She even told him so.

"I don't believe you."

"I didn't." Naruto repeated in a steely voice. "I couldn't do that with her, knowing what she felt for me. It wouldn't have been right."

Damn the gods, had he always been this sincere? Sakura despairingly wondered over the brutality of his honesty.

"And rescuing me was?" She asked as she felt a fresh wave of anger rise within her. An old, petty jealousy struck her with the speed and intensity of a serpent's bite, giving new life to the outrage she felt not just towards Naruto but herself too. "Were you with anyone else before then?"

His silence only enraged her.

"Answer me, Naruto." She was too upset to realise how grossly unfair and hypocritical she was being. Yet she remembered the way he looked at her body and in the confused chaos of shame, she wanted to know how and when he had acquired such audacity. She knew damn well that he hadn't learned it from her.

"Why do you want to know?"

"I want to understand exactly how much you've changed." Sakura snapped, all the while trying in vain to push down her hurt feelings that were threatening to resurface. "So tell me, how many were there? Ten? Twenty?"

"If that's the kind of information you need from me, fine, I'll say it." Naruto suddenly replied with equal acerbity. "But you have to answer some of my questions too."

"Oh really?" Sakura almost laughed at what she considered to be an absurd demand. "And just what exactly do I need to tell you?"

"Were you ever with Sasuke?" He was deadly serious. "In that way?"

Years ago, she would have made him _bleed_ for this but she no longer had the strength or even the will anymore. Such reactions were expected of an immature sixteen year old but she was an adult now and violence was not how intelligent adults communicated. Instead, she could only sit in mute fury and push her answer through clenched teeth.

" _No._ " She replied. "No, I never slept with him and before you ask, no, I haven't been with anyone else either. Celibacy is a mandate for temple maidens, as you may recall." She would never forgive him for this, to admit her virginity so openly in this way. "So what about you?"

She could see the knuckles on his good hand go white as his fingers curled into a fist.

"Two." He answered, his voice was rough and gravelly from….what was it….what was it that she could hear? Guilt? "They were before Hinata and I got together."

"How convenient." Her lip was trembling in spite of herself. Why, why did she have to go any further? She could have stopped it but her terrible curiosity was maddeningly gnawing at her conscience. "And where exactly did you meet these women?"

"When I was in ANBU, on away missions."

"Were they your teammates?" Her face was becoming scarlet.

"No." Naruto replied. "One was a client. The other was a target."

Sakura could only look at him in disbelief. That he had been intimate with a client and even the objective itself was an act that went against the very heart of being a mercenary soldier. Worse, such an attraction had the enormous potential to not only backfire but place incalculable risk upon all parties. To have slept with such individuals required an enormous amount of stupidity and carelessness as far as she was concerned.

"I see." It was all she could manage to say. Her imagination started to run wild as it conjured a set of impossibly gorgeous women lusting after Naruto like there was no tomorrow. The very thought was making her blood boil so much, she was sure her blood pressure would never be the same after tonight.

"I guess you've been much busier than I thought whilst I've been away."

"It wasn't like that." Naruto was visibly frustrated at being automatically branded as a cad. "Neither of them meant anything. There was nothing real between either of them."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." Her caustic replies were flying out of her mouth with little thought.

"I don't get why do you care so much about this."

" _By the gods_ ," Sakura was floored by his vacuity, "you are so _dense_ and _insensitive_!"

"Well it's not like we were even together back then!" Naruto finally lost his temper. Immediately, he regretted his choice of words because a split second later, he heard Sakura suddenly stand up and the sound of her heel spurning around to leave.

"Where are you going?" He demanded.

"Out." Sakura said, unable to stand the sight of him. "I'm going to go hunt for supper and don't you dare follow me."

"Did you forget where we are? What if you get spotted by ANBU or get lost in the forest? And we're in the middle of fucking winter. You won't find anything out there!"

"Yes I will!"

"Don't be stupid! You don't even have shoes! How're you supposed to walk—"

"I'm going!" Sakura swiftly left, not caring a whit as she felt the warm safety of Naruto's hollow tree recede when she stepped back to the dark woodland.

Night had fallen but the sky remained a dark indigo, suggesting that it was not quite as late as she had thought. For a while, she thought Naruto would come after her again but when she failed to discern him stumbling around, she started to fume and pace.

The silence in the forest and the chill brought her temper down into one of quiet contemplation. Her anger, however justified she may have felt it to be, stemmed from even a darker place that went beyond jealousy. It was from shame that she was responsible for where he was now and that she had missed out on so much of his life….and her own. She had lost so much more than she had thought and sadly wondered if it would have been truly better to have continued her existence as Ayame.

Ayame had no parents, village, or nation to call her own. She had only her temple sisters who had served as everything from friends, companions, and family. Ignorant as she had been, she had also been happy.

Sakura shivered and began cursing Naruto under her breath for being right. Her feet were turning into a warning shade of pink again and she knew his assessment had been correct. As far as she could tell, there was nothing visible or available to hunt. She would have to wait for daylight when it was brighter but how far could she go without being detected?

She continued to look down at her feet, watching her toes lightly sink under the white snow as it crusted in between the spaces like sugar.

How different her life had become….she almost couldn't believe it. Her sixteen-year old self could have never dreamed of such an outcome. Back then, she had walked Konoha's streets like a village princess, so confident and secure in her abilities. How certain she had been that she would have surpassed the great Tsunade! She had even enjoyed intimidating Naruto whenever she pulled her earth-splitting punches that could rip out great trees from their deepest roots or split great trenches into rocks.

Yes, she had been strong then, hadn't she? Yet so blind and weak in other ways, yes, she could admit that now.

She curled her toes as a thought came to her.

Curious, she looked at her hands then to the ground and wondered. Would she dare risk it? Her eyes flitted from tree to tree, to the sky, to her peripheral surroundings. In her best estimation, the forest was empty tonight.

She knelt down into the snow and outstretching a palm, she pressed her hand onto the cold damp earth then closed her eyes.

She concentrated in silence and waited, actively trying to sense and map out all the chakra that she could feel. To her surprise, in spite of the forest's silence, she could almost _hear_ life teeming below. She could sense an almost innumerable swirls of chakras from every living thing that had buried itself deep into the ground. Their hearts beat as surely and soundly as her own.

 _I just need one…._ she delved deeper…. _just one…._

That was when she heard the pulse of what she believed to be an animal large enough to kill.

Not wasting another moment, she withdrew her hand and cocking back a fist, she slammed it into the snow.

A quick tremor followed in the wake of the blast and from where she was, she could hear a soft thud in the distance. Wincing from the cold, she made a run for it as she dashed towards where she thought the hit had landed. Underneath the white, she could see a thicket of brushwood and when she cautiously reached down to brush its tops away, she spotted what looked to be two rabbits laying side-by-side.

Gingerly, she took her fresh kill into her arms, and started to make her way back to the tree.

It was only rabbits and yet, she felt flush with pride and a sudden wild sense of relief, she had done it.

And what was more, she had figured out a way to help Naruto.

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Naruto sat by the fire, miserable and upset, as he brooded on what was the fifth time as to whether or not he should go after the girl.

On one hand, he thought she deserved some space to cool off.

On the other, the frightening practicality of her being left to fend for herself was just as equally compelling of a reason to bring her right back into their shelter.

He ran over the conversation they had just had in his head, still in disbelief as to how it had turned out. He had _never_ imagined it would ever have taken that kind of direction and now was forced to acknowledge that it had gone to hell. How could he have been so stupid! He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. In his attempt to be honest, he had simultaneously insulted and hurt an already emotionally overwhelmed woman. It had been terrible to have had to break the news of her parents' deaths and her teachers' absences. Then to top that off, did he _have_ to tell her about his sexual escapades too?

As Shikamaru would have put it for him in the bluntest of terms: he had fucked up.

As the minutes ticked by, he started to get anxious and was about to rise from his place when he heard Sakura stumbling back inside, breathless.

"I'm sorry." He immediately started off. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to hurt—"

Before he could finish, Sakura had thrown her arms around him into a fierce hug.

For a few moments, he could only stand in stunned silence and realised this was probably the fastest turnaround time he had ever had in getting Sakura to accept an apology.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was muffled against his neck. "I just….I really don't know what to say other than that I'm sorry I'm so angry. I'm trying to adjust to everything that's happened since I left."

"No, I could have handled that a lot better," Naruto's hand cradled the small of her back, "I'm sorry too. I should've been more….you know….understanding."

"Without a doubt." He heard Sakura agree, to which he could not help but smile. She withdrew from their embrace and felt her bring his hand over to something soft and warm, like animal fur.

"I found dinner." He detected the triumph in her voice. "Rabbits."

"Where?" He was surprised.

"In a brush." He could swear that she was smiling. He had not heard that note of happiness in her voice for such a long time. "And….I think I figured out how to help you see again."

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"Now, remember what I said…." Sakura's voice drifted in the air.

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

"No," he heard her admit, "but has that ever stopped you?"

"I guess not."

Naruto felt uneasy. Out of habit, he kept turning to every sound he heard, no matter how innocuous they seemed and tensed up, half-expecting an enemy to launch into him. All he could register was the soft crunch of the snow and slick stone underneath his feet, the biting air that cut against his skin, and Sakura's voice carried across by the win. A gentle mist of water sprayed in his face, as soft as a lover's kiss as it swept across his cheek.

At Sakura's insistence, they had walked over to the nearest stream so they could test out her theory. Guided onto what she said were rocks in the middle of the river, Naruto stood there, feeling uncertain and quite frankly, a bit stupid.

"Concentrate," said Sakura.

"On _what_ though?"

"The chakra in the water. The current. How it's flowing." He heard her answer. "This isn't any different from the chakra we use and have in our bodies."

"But what am I supposed to do with it?" Naruto asked.

"Move it. Change it. Make it bend to your will."

She might as well have asked him to bring down the heavens themselves. He exhaled, wondering whether or not he should try to humour her but realised if he didn't at least make a genuine effort, she would know in an instant.

Doing as she asked, Naruto took a breath and tried to focus on the low, quiet roar of the stream that rushed around him. He listened closely, to each and every gurgle as the water flowed across the stones and pooled downward, swirling around his feet, the earth, beneath the sky….

A glimmer of blue emerged in the darkness.

He blinked, unsure of what he saw. He tried again and there it was, a hint of the cool colour encircling around itself in luminescent wisps.

"Sakura…." He stared. "Sakura, I think I can see it."

"What do you notice?" Her voice sounded far and away from him.

"The chakra."

He was so delighted by his sudden progress that he surged his entire attention towards the energy. It was as if he was looking into the very blueprint of the water itself, if such a thing were possible. Slowly, surely, he could see bare, electric blue circles that whirled around in reliable ripple patterns that traveled southward and seemed to caress dark splotches that he believed were stones. Everything else was dark and he could not see detail nor any other colour beyond shades of blue but he could now discern the river without much difficulty.

He was laughing now and didn't care if the sound traveled far.

Sakura stood by the bank, watching him in quiet relief. She saw his smile and the striking change it made on his appearance. It was as if she was seeing the sun peeking through the clouds and for a moment, she wondered if he looked as he did now when he had been the Hokage. She could almost imagine him walking past the Pavilion's red pillars and into its golden Hall of Supreme Harmony with his scarlet-white robes as he gazed upon his future home. His seat of power.

A delicate fall of snow broke her thoughts. Looking up, she saw a never-ending grey sky and a cascade of white drifting down from the heavens.

Smiling, her hand reached up to catch them when she saw Naruto's gaze upon her.

Snow dotted her head and had stuck fast to her neck, her shoulders, arms, even her meagre clothes. She was enveloped in white and yet, as Naruto saw her, he beheld a woman's form in the darkness alit with evanescent stars that winked and faded out. There were the delicate curves of her shoulders, her long neck that held up her head as it turned to him. He thought, or maybe he was imagining it, that she looked happy.

"What do you see?" He saw her lips move and her voice ask.

He tried to remember what she looked like before his sight had been taken and tried to picture it with what he was looking at now. There, in that sparkle, must have been her eyes, still holding that alluring shade of green that he had come to know so well.

"You." His voice was full of gratitude. "I see you."

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The pages crinkled against the polished surface of Hanzei's desk as he continued to meticulously read each character on the line. A quiet calm pervaded his study. The walls were covered with neat mahogany shelves of books that had been bound and embossed with his clan's insignia. A pleasant amount of light filtered through the papered wooden doors although there were plenty of candles and even a delicate oil lamp available for his use.

All the emotions and chaos of the everyday world could be shut out the moment his doors were closed.

It was only here in this corner of the Hokage Pavilion that he could temporarily forget that the Seventh was still incapacitated in sickbed, his two nieces were under house arrest in Earthly Tranquility, and he had a village that was growing restless, week after week, from hearing nothing about their Hokage. What a disastrous conclusion to the wedding he had so long constructed and hoped for.

And why?

Because of one, stupid girl who had somehow managed to recapture the Hokage's attention and once again, keep him away from Hinata.

At least he had taken care of that irksome problem, Hanzei shut his book and was about to gather another when he heard his porter call out to him through the screens.

"Hanzei-sama," the porter intoned from outside, "Uchiha Sasuke wishes to speak with you."

Hanzei paused, not quite sure if he had misheard. Slowly, he looked up at his doors.

"Hanzei-sama?"

He sat at his desk, wondering over his visitor. In all the years that he had been on the council, Sasuke had never once sought a private audience with him. What had now provoked this event, Hanzei darkly wondered.

"Hanzei-sama," the porter called again, this time sounding more anxious, "Uchiha Sasuke is—"

The doors suddenly swung open as Sasuke pushed them aside and walked right past Hanzei's stunned entourage in order to enter the study.

Unmoved, Hanzei merely looked down at him from his desk and returned to his reading.

"After spending so much time under Orochimaru's tutelage, you must have forgotten your manners." He remarked, feigning supreme indifference at Sasuke's entrance. "Yet I would expect a modicum of decorum from a descendant of Konoha nobility."

"I have a matter to discuss with you." Sasuke wasted no time in getting to the point.

"Then it will have to wait." Hanzei kept his eyes on his book. "As you may have noticed, the Hokage is ill and I must run the country in his stead until he recovers."

"I see." Sasuke coldly smirked. "The Byakugan truly is worthless after all. Did you not notice?"

"I have no time to listen to your incessant prattling, Uchiha. Go find another councilman who has the interest to address your concerns. If this has to do anything with reparations for your clan, I fear that discussion will also need to be postponed."

"Naruto isn't sick, you fool." Sasuke said. "He's not even here."

At that, Hanzei finally looked up.

"Imagine," Sasuke remarked softly, "you have over five thousand Pavilion soldiers, hundreds of Hyuuga-loyal supporters, and dozens of ANBU captains at your disposal. Yet not a single one detected that the Hokage they are guarding is nothing more than a shadow clone."

Hanzei narrowed his eyes. "If this is some cheap trick of yours to intimidate me, it will not work." He stood up to leave and within only a few moments, he swept past Sasuke and ignored his dumbfounded porter or the quartet of servants who waited on him.

He continued down the corridor, intent on calling on the entire Pavilion guard if he had to when he stepped outside.

An unearthly silence greeted his arrival and when he looked down, it took him a second longer for him to register the scene. Dozens of the palace soldiers and some of the Hyuuga men lay on the ground, bleeding from injuries and left insensate. Whatever had cut them down had done it with utmost speed and efficiency.

Mute, Hanzei turned to see Sasuke watching him with those hateful inscrutable eyes.

"Now then," he heard Sasuke say, "shall we talk?"


End file.
